


A Dystopian Romance

by zelico



Category: Cagaster of an Insect Cage | KidIl, mushikago no cagaster
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst, Deviates From Canon, Dubious Consent, Dystopia, F/M, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23176975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zelico/pseuds/zelico
Summary: Story summary: Cagaster of an Insect Cage FanficIt's the 22nd century, a dystopian society. Ilie is left parentless at 17. Kidow, a 23 year old exterminator, finds himself charged with her safety. Ilie adjusts to new life in the city while Kidow tries to manage his new military partnership and having a woman in his life.TW: Minor dubcon / dub-con / implied consent.
Relationships: Kidow/Ilie
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (9/17/2020): Hey guys! Super stoked to see other people who enjoy the anime/manga as much as I do! Obviously we're a super duper small fandom. Last I checked (which was a couple months ago), I'm the only writer for this. So because of that, I'm reaching out to ask if anyone is at all interested in a sequel. It seemed like I lost readers near the later chapters, so maybe most people were not a fan of the direction I went in with this (SPOILER: it's a totally different ending than the show, and I assume the manga). Which is totally fine, I respect that. 
> 
> However, if there's even a couple people interested in reading a sequel in this same altered universe focused on a different pairing (I'll post an AN on the last chapter to share there), but still has a good amount of Kidow & Ilie, please let me know in the comments or through a message. While I have moved onto bigger fandoms, I will not abandon this one if there's someone out there in the internet void wanting to read more. But I won't be motivated to take the time to write it unless I know that for certain.

**Chapter 1**

Midway into the 22nd century, a crisis struck the world. After the fourth World War, a strange phenomenon occurred where people spontaneously transformed into giant, man-eating insects called cagasters. Even though only 1 in 1,000 people transformed into cagasters, the outbreak caused a devastation that wiped out nearly two thirds of the world's population. 

Earth's leading scientist on the cagaster outbreak published a book describing the gruesome process. After the initial signs of transforming, which included the skin dissipating and sprouting wings, it took only twenty minutes before the person became a full blown cagaster. A cagaster was nearly indestructible, impervious to bullets. Because of this fact, it was pertinent to slay a person within those first twenty minutes. This act was not for the faint of heart because most people retained their minds until the final minute of transformations. The men who rose up to the task were referred to as exterminators. 

The cagaster crisis caused worldwide devastation, creating a dystopian society. Many cities became overrun with cagasters and turned into nests, referred to as insect cages. In East Asia, a military regime rose up called the Eastern Alliance Government. Any of the remaining functional cities, named only by a district number, were given a task force of soldiers to guard against cagasters and self-governing rights. 

It was now 30 years after the initial cagaster outbreak, and society was making a recovery. Illie, a platinum-blond, dark blue eyed 17 year old, and her dad were on their way to E-05 from their home in A-47. Much of Area A was an agricultural district, but the large town of A-47 was overrun with violence and crime. The larger city of E-05 was their chance at a safer life with more work opportunities. 

But as they neared the city, they unwittingly passed by an insect nest. A cagaster started to chase them and Ilie’s father, Griffith, sped the Jeep up as fast as it would go to try to escape the cagaster. He swerved, causing them to slide down into the valley and flip over. Ilie thought she heard gunfire as she passed out. 

When she regained consciousness and found herself tossed over a stanger’s shoulders, she was hysterical. Her dad had trained her for this very scenario, so she easily escaped his grasp and tried to run towards her dad, not knowing that he had already died. The young stranger with spiky dark brown hair and muscular lean physique, grabbed her arm and told her to leave him because he was already dead. But her mind refused to believe it, so she yelled and fought to pull away from him. He finally let go of her, then slapped her cheek with the backside of his hand, causing her to fall to the ground. 

“Did you really have to do that?” Jin asked.

Kidow ignored Jin and said to Ilie,“Your dad asked me to get you somewhere safe. But if you would rather cry here and die, that’s fine with me.” He turned away and walked toward Jin’s Jeep. 

Coming to her senses, Ilie followed the two men to the car and climbed into the backseat. Kidow hopped in the passenger seat while Jin got in the driver’s seat and started the car. Ilie held her bruised cheek as they drove back. 

“Here,” Jin said, handing her an ice pack. “Sorry this guy was so rough on you.” 

She nodded her thanks and turned her eyes back to the window. She tried to wrap her mind around the fact that her entire world had been flipped upside down. Her dad was her best friend and her only family. She never imagined having to live without him. And just like that, he was gone. As hard as she tried, she could not hold back her tears. Her soft crying eventually turned into uncontrollable sobs. She didn’t care that she looked terrible in front of the strangers who rescued her. 

“Look! You made her cry, you sadistic, violent bully!” Jin yelled at Kidow. 

“Just shut up and drive!” Kidow retorted. 

Ilie dozed off. When she woke up, she was on Kidow’s back inside a cafe style restaurant that she would later learn was called Mario’s Garden. 

“She awake!” Jin remarked. 

At that notice, Kidow dropped her. She stumbled and grabbed onto the back of his shirt to stop herself from falling, ignoring Kidow’s glare at the inconvenience. Mario, a big, muscular man dressed as a maid approached her. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Hi honey, don’t worry. You’re safe here.” His smile brought some relief. 

“You said you were thinking of hiring help around here. Now you have it. She can start tomorrow,” Kidow said to Mario. 

Ilie was in too much shock to respond to his cold-hearted statement. She was thankful that Mario chastised him, saying to give her a few days to grieve and adjust. 

“Whatever,” Kidow said. “I’m taking her to my room so she can sleep.” 

Kidow then led her to his bedroom upstairs. Before he left, Ilie begged him to tell her what her father’s last words were. Reluctantly, he explained the conversation he had with her father right before he died.

_“Are you an exterminator?” he had asked weakly._

_“Yes.”_

_“Are you…” he sputtered some blood, “are you a good man? A man of honor?”_

_“No. There’s no such thing as a good man these days.”_

_Her father had chuckled painfully at that. “No, I suppose not. But I’m sure a truly dishonorable man would simply lie. You’re from E05?” Kidow nodded. “Please, look after my daughter. Make sure she’s safe.”_

_“I will. I keep my promises to the dead.”_

Imagining her father’s dying moments brought tears to her eyes. She laid her head down and cried herself to sleep that night. 

The next morning, she woke up early and went out for a stroll. This gave her time to process everything that occurred in the past 24 hours. As she explored the city, she successfully fought back tears. She thought about how important it was to her father to get her here. And here she was. If he had known it would cost him his life, would he still have ventured the trip? She had almost no doubt in her mind the answer was yes. 

She believed her dad would smile knowing she could walk the streets alone without fear of being raped and mugged. There were so many people here compared to her hometown. She was amazed to see the city had electricity and running water. 

Suddenly, a strange figure startled her. It was a boy, about 12 years old, with a large cagaster shaped head, staring down at her from a stone wall. He took it off and laughed at her stunned expression. 

“Sorry about that. I wear this to scare off the shady people that wander around here. I’m Naji!” He extended his hand. 

“I’m Ilie,” she said, shaking his hand. “Do you live around here?”

“Yeah, what about you?”

“I just came to town yesterday. I stayed in one of the bedrooms above Mario’s Garden. But I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing…” Then she remembered what Kidow said the night before. “I may start working for Mario at the restaurant.”

“I know Mario! He’s a great guy. You’re lucky to have found such a great place on your first night in the city!”

Just then, a lady around Ilie’s age came by. “What are you up to squirt?” she said to Naji. 

“Hey Lizzy!” he replied, “This is Ilie. She’s new in town, and I was just about to show her my place. Wanna join us?” 

“Sure, why not? I’ve got nothing better to do right now.”

Naji led the way to his place as Lizzy and Ilie got acquainted. When they arrived at Naji’s humble house, they saw his grandpa sitting on a rocking chair out front. 

“Naji, bringing girls home now, are you?”

“No you senile old man!” Naji replied jokingly. 

They followed Naji up the outer stairs to his rooftop, providing a beautiful view of the western sun. The three of them talked for the afternoon, and Ilie felt she was starting to make some good friends. 

Lizzy and Naji described a horrific event that took place five years earlier at the city when a cagaster outbreak went awry because no exterminators were nearby slay it in time. A whole section of people had to be blocked off in order to prevent the rest of the city from turning into an insect food. Among the people who died in the incident were Lizzy’s parents, leaving her an orphan. 

“Lizzy, I can’t imagine how awful that must’ve been” Ilie sympathized. 

“For the longest time I wouldn’t allow myself to grieve. Instead I harbored hate towards the soldiers on duty that day…”

“Do you still hate them?”

“No. Not anymore. I understand they really had no other choice. And one of the soldiers, his name is Qasim, came in to check on me and the other orphans almost everyday for the first two years. He still comes about every week now.”

“He sounds like a good man.”

“Yeah, I guess he is,” Lizzy sighed, saddened by the memory of her lost loved ones. 

Naji spoke up, “So, did you travel from area A all by yourself?” 

“No, my dad was with me...we were not too far from E-05 when a cagaster attacked us...and he died. I would have died too had an exterminator not come by and rescued me.”

Lizzy replied, “I’m sorry about your dad...although I gotta say I’m surprised an exterminator bothered to help you. They’re usually a bunch of greedy bastards who wouldn’t bother doing something so heroic without getting paid!”

“Well he did slap me at one point when I wanted to stay with my dad...”

“That sounds more like them!”

“But it was a good thing he did. I was getting hysterical and who knows how many cagasters might’ve come after us had he not helped me come to my senses,” she said somberly. “I might’ve stayed there and cried myself to death.”

Naji responded, “Well I still don’t like that he hit you! Seems like only a scumbag could hit a girl like that…”

“Haha, he is kind of a jerk. But like Lizzy said, not many exterminators would have bothered to save me. And I’m really grateful for him. And now that I think about it, he’s the one who got me the job at Mario’s!” 

Lizzy and Naji just stared at her, surprised to hear of such generosity from an exterminator. Then Naji’s grandpa walked up the stairs and handed Ilie a photo of her and her dad. 

“A generous young man came by and told me to give this to you,” the old man explained. He then showed Naji a wad of money that the young man had given him. 

Ilie looked over the photo for a few seconds before saying, “That must have been Kidow! I can’t believe he came out to look for me!” 

“The exterminator?!” Lizzy questioned. 

“Wow!” Naji was shocked to be the recipient of the exterminator’s generosity. 

“I’m going to see if I can catch up to him. Bye Lizzy! Bye Naji!”

“Bye Ilie!” they said in unison. 

She ran down the stairs and out to the street, catching Kidow when he was a few feet from his motorcycle. 

“Wait!” Ilie yelled as she ran up to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” he said matter of factly. “I came back from my job early afternoon. When Mario said he hadn’t seen you at all today, I thought maybe you had run off, making me break my promise to your dad.” 

“Sorry to have worried you. I just went for a walk, and I guess the day kinda got away from me.” 

“Let’s go,” he said as he put his helmet on her head. “Hop on.” 

She climbed onto the backside of the bike, only wrapping her arms around his midsection when the bike suddenly lurched forward. The ride back to Mario’s felt both exciting and safe. As she started to associate those feelings with Kidow, she thought, _I think I’m starting to like this guy..._

That night, Mr. Mario had her own bedroom prepared for her. As she thought about going to bed, she suddenly became aware that she smelled pretty bad because she hadn’t had a proper bath in weeks. Already knowing where the bathroom was, she asked Mario about towels. 

He showed her the linen closet where they were stored and warned her that there was only cold water. If she ever wanted to take a hot bath, she would have to heat up the water on the stovetop in the kitchen downstairs. All natural gas lines to the city had been turned off shortly after the start of cagaster outbreaks. Hot showers required propane, which was expensive and hard to come by. Before he left, he apologized that the lock on the door was broken and promised to get it fixed. 

Even though she grew up taking cold showers, she never liked them. So she was prepared to full on shower once a week, and do sink baths on the other six nights of the week. Maybe once a month she could go through the hassle of lugging hot water upstairs for a relaxing bath. 

After she showered, she laid down on her new bed. She was thankful for Mario’s hospitality, but sleeping in her own bedroom served as a reminder of all that she had lost. Her sadness kept sleep from coming that night. She heard a sound down the hallway and got up to check it out. When she reached the top of the staircase, she saw Kidow walking out the front door. Curiosity took hold of her, causing her to follow him against her better judgment. 

The scene she witnessed was both nerve wracking and awe inspiring. He was practicing forms with his jagged edged sword, looking to be a fearsome opponent in battle. But it was his outspoken self-talk that rattled her nerves. He was getting louder and louder, declaring statements like being a heartless sword with the sole purpose of slaying monsters and to exterminate a monster means you have to be a monster. 

Illie could tell his was a dark background. Her own training vastly differed from his. Her father focused on positive affirmations, as opposed to Kidows dark chants. It seemed an almost cruel indoctrination to her. As she was lost in thought studying him and contemplating what his life must have been like, she found herself staring directly at the tip of his sword, now only 2 or 3 inches from her face. He was staring directly at her, eyebrows creased, eyes stern and lips tight. She froze and let out a couple of small, gaspy breaths. He was like a statue, not blinking, and seemed as if he wasn’t even breathing. She couldn’t help but feel like he saw her as a threat to his “heartlessness,” and his drawn sword needed to eliminate that threat. 

“What do you want?” he finally spoke. 

“Do you want to spar?” she asked, surprised at her own audacity. 

“What?” He was confused by the suggestion.

“If you have an extra sword, I can spar with you a little. I’m mostly trained in hand to hand combat, but I can handle a knife pretty well, and I can make do with a small sword.” 

He sheathed his sword and asked, “Hand to hand combat, huh?”

“Yeah. My dad trained me to defend myself against anyone who may try to attack or assault me,” she said in hopes to sound a bit intimidating, but was sure she just sounded ridiculous. She knew there was no way she could stand a chance against Kidow if he had his mind set on something lewd. She inwardly chastised herself for liking the sound of that. 

“Hm. I don’t have another sword, but I have a couple knives.” He pulled out two knives from his belt and handed her one. 

“Great. But I’m warning you, if you try to pull anything on me, I won’t hold back!”

He gave her a smile and patted her on the head, making her feel like a child. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

_Although, I wouldn’t mind if you did_ , she thought. Then cursed herself for thinking such a thing. They were a few paces away, when they both crouched down in combat stance. She felt a little silly crouching, suddenly self-conscious of how unfeminine she looked. 

“You make the first move,” he said. 

That was different. Her dad was always playing the part of the attacker, so to be on the offensive was a strange feeling. But without responding, she charged him. No surprise to her when he easily blocked her attack. That pattern went on for a few minutes, her attacking and him blocking. Finally, instead of just blocking, he counterattacked. He disarmed her, grabbed her by the arms and pushed her up against the building behind her. 

His arms on either side of her shoulders, looking down at her, he said, “Looks like you need more practice, princess.” 

Trying to be witty, she quipped, “I was just going easy on you. Since you just saved my life a couple days ago, I figured it would be ungrateful of me to beat you up.” 

He just chuckled, patting her head again as he backed off. She couldn’t help but think about how nice it would be to have someone so strong and fierce to protect her for life. That thought prompted her to reach for his hand. Once she grabbed it, she said, “Kidow...I…” But words failed to come to mind. 

He stared at her moment and replied, “Come on. Let’s go back and get some sleep.” He let his hand fall from her grip. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilie is adjusting to her new life in E-05, and learning more about the man who rescued her. She can't deny her growing feelings for Kidow, especially when he gets in a near fatal fight with an elite assassin.

The next day, Ilie decided she was ready to start working for Mario. When Kidow saw her waiting on customers and bussing tables, he made a snide comment about not having to sell her to a brothel now that she was of some use. She snapped back that no one could make her work in a place like that. Whether he believed her or not, she was confident that she was strong enough to fight ever being pimped out.

Over the next few weeks, Ilie adjusted to her new life. Most days she was either working at the cafe or hanging out with Lizzy and Naji. The main times Ilie and Kidow saw each other were eating meals together at the bar with Mario. Kidow's work schedule was sporadic. Sometimes he was gone for 2-4 days. But there were also many days off work, allowing him and Ilie to eat two meals together per day. Ilie was starting to feel like Kidow was actually warming up to her, at times even being nice to her.

She enjoyed getting to know the regular customers. Jin came in almost everyday, either bragging about his newfound treasures or complaining about not being compensated enough for said treasures. Many of the men jeered about how nice it was to have an actual woman around, making the food taste ten times better. Mario joked that he should start charging ten times the regular price.

One day, when Kidow wasn't around, Ilie asked Mario about his past. He explained that he was raised in the Far East, an area where all large cities had become insect cages. As a Far East exterminator, he was trained much more extensively than any of the local exterminators. Before he could explain more, a commotion outside distracted them.

Mario and Ilie ran outside to see what was happening. Three men, other exterminators, surrounded Kidow, threatening him. Though she didn't understand what was happening in the moment, she later learned that they were angry that the city's magistrate had commissioned him to partner with one of the military units in charge of protecting incoming trade caravans. A fight ensued, and Kidow took down all three of them while hardly breaking a sweat. While lying on the ground, one exterminator pulled out his gun and aimed directly for Kidow's head.

"Kidow!" Ilie yelled, unable to contain her fear. But before he could pull the trigger, Kidow had cut off his hand with his sword.

Wow, Mario wasn't kidding about Kidow's skills. No wonder he's getting all the jobs around here….oh my gosh I actually fought this guy! I mean it was a mock fight, but still.

* * *

Ilie pondered the violent incident from the day as she started her sink bath that night. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, and as she scrubbed under her arms she thought, Are most exterminators like those thugs that threatened Kidow? If so, I can see why most people don't like them. But did Kidow really have to cut the guy's hand off? He probably could've just knocked the gun out of the guys hand...not that I feel sorry for him. He was planning on shooting him!

Her thoughts continued as she let the water drip down her sides while she washed, not worrying about her panties getting wet since she was going to wash them when she was done. Back in Area A she would just bathe naked, but with the broken door lock, she always kept either her bra or panties on and her towel close by. And this day she was glad she did. She grabbed the towel as Kidow burst the door open, jolting her away from her thoughts.

"Geez Kidow, don't you knock? And couldn't you hear the water running telling you I was in here?"

He creased his eyebrows and quizzed, "I assumed you were just washing your hands, and I have to piss. Why are you bathing in the sink when there's a shower right there?"

"I don't like the cold water all over my body. Now can I have a little privacy?!"

"Relax, it's nothing I haven't seen before," he said as he walked in.

"Yeah, but you haven't seen it on ME! What are you doing?!"

He stood at the toilet right next to the sink and started unzipping his pants. "I'm sure it's nothing you haven't seen before either, Princess. I couldn't hold it."

She looked straight ahead and held her hand up to her face, blocking her peripheral vision. "Yeah, but it's nothing I've seen on YOU before," she said. He doesn't need to know that I've only seen it in science books though. "We've GOT to talk about boundaries! I need to know I can safely bathe in here without you sneaking a peak."

After he finished, he held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'm not used to having to share the bathroom. Next time I hear the water running, I'll just go outside to take a piss."

"Thank you!" she said, although annoyed.

As he started walking out, she put a hand on his arm to stop him, "Wait…" When he gave her a confused look, she dropped her hand and said, "I wanted to ask you...has that happened before a lot?"

"Has what happened a lot?"

"Earlier, with those guys surrounding you and threatening you like that.."

"Oh that...they've tried to intimidate me before, but that's the first they ever started a fight, and it'll be the last if they're smart."

"I guess that's what they get for trying to bully the exterminator from the Far East, huh?" What am I doing? Am I trying to flirt with him?

He just stared blankly at her.

She felt her face turn red. Okay, I guess I hit a nerve…"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. I just got scared when I saw them threaten you like that."

He smirked and said, "You got worried about me, Princess?"

Her face got hot. She looked at the floor in an effort to hide her redness.

He patted her on the head before walking out, closing the door behind him. She leaned her back against the door and stared up at the ceiling.

 _What is wrong with me? Peeing in front of me and patting my head...he treats me like a little sister._ She let out a small groan as she thought, _But I can't help it, I really like him._

* * *

A few weeks later, Mario, Ilie and Kidow were having lunch together as the conversation focused on Ilie's recent past. She described how her town was riddled with crime and violence. Most of the soldiers and officers were corrupt. She talked about how her dad's main goal was to help her be safe from anyone intent to cause her harm. Mario asked her about the long journey from Area A to E-05. She described that it was mostly boring. They made a few stops in some cities to restock on fuel and food, but spent many nights in the car.

"So when you two left, why didn't your dad hire a bodyguard to escort you all the way from Area A to here?" Kidow asked.

"Because no one was willing to travel so far on what he could afford to pay."

"So up until you guys left, he feared what the cagasters would do to you more than the violent men in your village. What changed so suddenly for him to risk facing the cagasters?"

"I...I don't know…"

"Hmm…"

"Well Kidow," Mario interjected, "What's going on with the killings I've been hearing rumors about? Is it a stray cagaster?"

"No, this is not the work of those bugs. This looks more like an assassin."

"An assassin?!" Ilie asked.

"He seems to be targeting exterminators, but he has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in his way." He went on to describe in detail how the killer only mutilated the bodies of exterminators.

"How terrible," Ilie said.

* * *

After finishing his food, Kidow went upstairs to find an envelope on his bed. He opened it to find a map marking all of the locations of the previous killings, with one additional marker which he assumed was to indicate the location of the assassin's next target. He immediately went out to show it to the unit he was commissioned to work with.

It wasn't until a few hours later that it clicked in his mind - the marked location on the map was the watchtower that Ilie often frequented with Lizzy. The assassin typically struck at night, and the sun was just starting to set. He ran over to Mario's to check if Ilie was there. When Mario told him she had gone out with Lizzy, he made a mad dash for the watchtower.

It was almost dark by the time he made it up there. He was calling out for Ilie and Lizzy when he found two bodies, both exterminators with whom he had run-ins with in the past. He looked up just in time to dodge a strike from the assassin. He barely had time to pull out his sword before his opponent struck again.

The assassin, dressed head to toe in white, including a mesh cloth draped down to cover his face, wielded two swords and moved with supernatural speed. Somehow, Kidow managed to defend himself from the assassin's attacks and even got in a few good swings himself.

"You're a lot tougher than your friends here," the killer mocked, motioning towards the two dead bodies.

Instead of responding, Kidow remained silent as he studied his opponent. Who is this guy? How can he move so fast? Suddenly a set of six, insect like claws lashed out, nearly gutting him had he not ducked and rolled when he did.

"Impressive. I was trying to slice you open!" he jeered.

"What are you?!" Kidow questioned as he tried to grasp what his eyes were seeing. Six cagaster legs extended from the man's entire midsection.

"A monster!" he answered as he struck again, this time slicing into Kidow's arm with one of his bug legs.

Kidow's vision immediately began to blur, and he staggered a step. As he already knew, a cagaster's poison numbs the mind and body. He started to lose feeling in his limbs. In that moment, he knew he was a goner.

At the moment the assassin was about to strike, the loud gong from the watchtower stopped him. He left Kidow and started to climb the scaffold at superhuman speed. Kidow looked up to see Ilie banging the gong.

* * *

When Ilie saw Kidow and a white-dressed man engaged in an unavoidably fatal duel, she considered running out to help him fight. But her senses told her that she would only serve to weaken Kidow instead of help him. Though she was strong, she was no match for an elite professional killer.

Then she noticed the gong at the stop of the scaffolding. She climbed the ladder as fast as she could and hit the gong as hard as she could with the gavel laying next to it. Though she doubted anyone could hear her, she yelled for help as loud as her vocal cords would let her. She stopped as soon as she saw the assassin with his insect legs stretching out toward her.

"Ilie?" he said, stopping as soon as he saw her. "Ilie, is that you?"

Her fear turned into shock, "How...how do you know my name? Who are you?"

Before he could answer, a bullet tore through his neck. He swore and jumped off the tower. When she looked over the edge, he was already out of sight. She tore down the ladder and ran toward Kidow, who was braced against a rooftop wall, eyes closed.

Ilie shook him awake, yelling, "Kidow, wake up! Are you okay?"

Holding his hand to his head, he gruffed, "Ah, shut up, princess. I just need to sleep it off."

"But you're hurt…what's this?" she grazed over a bite mark on his right bicep.

"It's fine. The poison numbed my senses, I had to bite myself so I could feel well enough to get a good shot off him. I'll be fine. What happened to that guy?"

"He ran off after you shot him."

He closed his eyes and said, "Huh, then he's definitely not human...just let me rest my eyes for a few minutes."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?!"

"Yeah…" His eyes opened wide a moment. "But what about you? Are you hurt at all?"

"No, I'm okay. I'm not hurt...actually..."

"Okay," he smiled. "I'm really glad you're alright." His eyes closed and his mouth fell slightly open, telling Ilie he fell asleep.

She then laid her head in his lap. _I'll just tell him what happened up there when he's feeling better...man I'm really falling for him._ She drifted off while hoping he might share her feelings.

* * *

A few days later, Ilie ran a few errands with Lizzy. Lizzy confessed to finding her and Kidow together on the rooftop by the watchtower. She made a point to express her concern about her growing attachment to Kidow. "Please be careful around him."

"What do you mean?"

"Military men and exterminators...they really only want one thing from women. I'm just scared you're going to get yourself hurt."

"Oh I see," Ilie replied. "But what about Qasim? He's a military man...do you think he's like that?"

"Well no...to be honest, I've never seen him with a woman at all. But I've never met a good-hearted exterminator."

"You don't think Kidow is different from the others?"

"Maybe he is. But please just be careful. Don't let your guard down."

"I'll be careful. Lizzy, I'm thankful to have to watch my back. I think I'd feel so lonely here if I hadn't met you."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy on me now."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tragedy causes everyone to miss out on the city's anniversary festival. Kidow seeks comfort with Ilie.  
> This is where the story really deviates from canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - minor dubcon/implied consent, sexually graphic scene in this chapter.

Ilie was surprised to see Kidow come down for breakfast before Mario. Typically her and Mario had breakfast early together before opening the restaurant.

"You're up early," she commented.

"Did you do something with yesterday's newspaper?"

"Yeah, I threw it out."

He did not withhold his annoyance, "I wasn't done with it yet!"

Trying to keep cool, she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Well Princess, try asking first next time," he said with a scowl.

She didn't reply because she felt like he was just trying to get a rise out of her. After thinking about it, she finally asked, "Kidow, why are you so rude to me?"

He didn't hesitate, "Because you're a nuisance."

"Is that what you really think of me? A nuisance?"

He just shrugged, "Why are you asking me this right now?"

She took a deep breath, looked at the ground and said, "Because I really like you. And I can't tell if you're really this annoyed at me or if it's just a front you put on."

Silence filled the room, thus filling Ilie with anxiety. She went back and forth between regretting saying that and being glad she spit it out.

Kidow started, "Ilie, I…"

But he was interrupted when Mario came through the door and asked loudly, "So, who's ready for the festival tonight?"

Ignoring Mario, Kidow bolted out, mumbling something about having to meet someone.

"There's a festival tonight?" Ilie asked.

"Yes," Mario explained. "It's to celebrate the city's 25th anniversary. You should go."

"I think I will, it sounds like fun! Do you know if Kidow will go too?"

Mario smiled as he caught on to her interest in the young man. Instead of answering, he got her to focus on opening duties for the restaurant.

Mid morning, the door opened, and Ilie was surprised to see Kidow come into the cafe with his unit for breakfast. She was further surprised to learn that Qasim, whom Lizzy had talked so much about, was part of the unit. Hadi, the unit's captain, was young but smart and had quite the tactical skills. Aisha fascinated Ilie because she was a female soldier. Ilie bombarded her with questions about what it was like to work with men all the time and how she didn't get scared working in such dangerous conditions everyday, but Aisha didn't seem to mind.

"You know, Kidow tells us you're a fighter. Would you ever consider enlisting?" Aisha asked Ilie.

"Kidow talks about me to you guys?!" Ilie asked, astonished.

Kidow chimed in, "Peh, she wouldn't last a day working in the military."

"Hey, give the girl some credit. Not many women have formal defense training," then she turned to Ilie, "Besides, it doesn't have to be front line work like I do. There's plenty of military positions with safer duties."

"Thank you for your confidence in me, Aisha," Ilie said before shooting a glare at Kidow. "But I'm actually really enjoying my work here. I get to meet so many people and hear so many stories. To be honest, I think I'd like to stay here as long as Mario is willing to keep me on."

Mario shouted from behind the bar, "Don't ever leave me, Ilie! Business has been booming since you've been here!"

Ilie smiled at Mario and continued serving the full dining room, sneaking in as much time at Kidow's table as such could. She was excited to get the chance to talk with the people he worked with so often, until the unit received a radio call and had to jet out.

After the lunch rush died down, Lizzy came by to tell Ilie about an ordeal with a Cagaster. Kidow and Qasim took out one that had made its way into the tunnels under the city.

"Is everyone alright?" Ilie questioned.

"Yes they're alright. You should've been there! It was so scary but also cool to see everybody in action!"

"You saw them kill the cagaster?!"

"Well no, I listened. I was sitting next to Aisha who was on the radio with everybody."

Ilie's eyes widened, "Wow! I'm glad everyone is okay!"

"Me too! Anyway, I'll catch you later. Qasim said he had something he wanted to tell me, so I'm going to meet him now."

"Bye Lizzy!"

Ilie worked at Mario's all day so that he could focus on preparing a booth for the festival. When she closed up shop after lunch hour, she saw Naji outside with some of his friends. They invited her outside and she gladly talked with them about the upcoming festivities. Everyone was getting excited about all the good food to eat and games to play.

They all stopped their conversation when they saw Kidow making their way toward them. He was somber and covered in blood. Ilie studied him to see if he was covered in his own blood or someone else's. His straight posture, even gait and lack of wounds told her that it was not his own blood.

He stopped in front of Naji. "Here. Do whatever you want with this," he said as he dropped a simple necklace in his hand.

"This is Qasim's," Naji said.

Ilie stared at Kidow as he walked straight past her and up to his room.

"I'm going to go check on Lizzy. I'm pretty sure this means Qasim is dead," Naji said sadly.

Ilie froze for a minute until Mario motioned for her to join him inside. As they sat down, she said, "Maybe I should go with Naji to see how Lizzy is doing."

"Not now, honey. Naji is like a brother to Lizzy. Let him go. We'll call to check on her later."

Mario left to make them some tea, and as he came back to sit down with Ilie, they heard Kidow let out a loud, agonizing shout. Chills ran down her spine and tears filled her eyes.

"Do you feel sorry for him?" Mario asked.

"I...I don't think pity is the right way to describe how I feel. More like helpless. I mean I just had a conversation with Kidow and Qasim this morning. They even fought off a cagaster together today! And now… there's just so much pain…"

Mario looked up the stairs towards Kidow's room, "You know, some people don't know how to live without pain…"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to know more about Kidow's upbringing?"

Ilie nodded her head yes and took a sip of tea.

"Well, I don't know anything about his birth parents. But I do know from a very young age, a man by the name of Lazarus took him in. They lived in the Far East, a dangerous desert filled with far more cagasters than what we have here. Lazarus was a cold man. He trained Kidow to be an exterminator from the very start, bringing him on all his missions.

"He taught him to never grow close to anybody. Lazarus became the leader of an unruly group of exterminators, so Kidow grew up with terrible men. His only experience with women is limited to the hookers working at the brothels the group frequented.

"One day, when Kidow was just a little older than you, he was forced to exterminate his father. But many people didn't believe him because they saw no wings sprout. Kidow knew it was only a matter of time before someone tried to avenge Lazarus's death, so he fled and came here. He's been here ever since. Although, I'm nervous that this whole ordeal with Qasim will cause him to want to leave here."

Ilie finally said after a minute of silence, "But that doesn't make sense. He has attachments here. You and Jin, Hadi and Aisha...and…"

"And you?" Mario asked with soft eyes.

"I...I know I'd be sad if he left. Though I doubt he would miss me…"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that honey. I think he's more attached to you than he lets on."

"Maybe...oh my goodness it's so late! Mario, your booth!"

He waved his hand at her, "Don't worry about that. I got Jin to work it. He owes me so this is his way of paying me back."

When on earth did Mario ask Jin to work the booth? Where was I? Ilie wondered.

Mario and Ilie spent the next hour talking. Neither of them were in the mood to join the festivities taking place close by. They then spent another hour cleaning up the cafe.

"Maybe I should bring some food up to him," Ilie said questioningly.

"I think that's a great idea," Mario assured her.

So Ilie prepared some sandwiches to take up to Kidow. She started to prepare tea, but thought better of it in case he had fallen asleep. As she worked, she contemplated the conundrum of Kidow's focus to stay an unattached, heartless weapon and his cry of anguish betraying his deep emotions.

She brought the food up and she gently knocked on his door "Kidow, are you awake?"

He opened the door and answered coldly, "Hey, you need something?"

It was evident he had been awake for a while, and his casual demeanor seemed strange to her. "I...um...no. I just thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some dinner."

"Thanks," he said blankly, then turned around, leaving the door open.

Ilie placed the tray down on his nightstand as Kidow sat down on the side of his bed. She stood awkwardly for a moment, trying to figure out something, anything, to say. "I take it you slept well. You seem more well-rested and awake than I expected." Okay, that sounded stupid. "I'll go make you some tea."

She turned to walk away, only to feel his hand grab her wrist, forcing her to stop. "Did you come here to pity me or comfort me?"

Stunned, she asked, "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

In one swift motion, he pulled her arm and grabbed her shoulder. Standing face to face, he said, "I just killed a friend. You came up here to comfort me, right?" Before she could respond, he turned her around and pushed her onto the bed. In a snap he was on all fours on top of her. "You thought I slept well, but I'm too worked up to sleep."

He had both of her hands pinned. "What are you doing?" she asked.

He only responded by letting go of one of her hands so he could slide his hand up her thigh under her skirt. Her heart pounded, her eyes widened and her breathing became shallow. "I thought you didn't look at me sexually," she said weakly.

She felt his breath on her neck as he continued working his way up, nearly reaching where no man had touched before. As a signal to slow down, she placed her one free hand on top of his hand working up her leg. He clenched the seams of her underwear at her hip before stopping. "I'm not a whore."

Ignoring her, he slipped his fingers between her panties and her skin and made his way between her legs. "Kidow," she said more sternly and loudly, "I'm not a whore!" Her mind and body were screaming for him to continue, but she had the one reservation that he was only doing this to get off. She feared that the act that meant so much to her meant absolutely nothing to him.

"I know Ilie." he replied gruffly. His hand slid down between her legs to test her for fluids, "Good, you're almost ready." He then thrust a couple of fingers into her.

She gasped at the new sensation. He continued a few more times, and she tried her best to stay quiet, but let out a few muffled moans and whines. God, this is exciting. I wish he would look at me though. But he stayed cheek to cheek with her, placing the occasional peck on her neck. Her hand lightly gripped his forearm as he worked on warming her up.

Her grip on his arm loosened and rotated when He brought his hand up to her waist, slipping under her shirt. He spent just a few seconds caressing her breasts before sitting up to take off his shirt and unbutton his pants.

Ilie breathed heavily as Kidow undressed. Her mind started racing, If I want out, now's the time to do something. But she couldn't bring herself to say or do anything. He stood up to remove his pants. She gulped, averted her eyes and thought, Oh man, he's naked.

Her heart started pounding harder as he pulled off her skirt and panties, leaving her bottom half naked. She grabbed his hand as he started to climb back on top of her. The gesture caused him to look at her for a moment. "Kidow," his name coming out barely above a whisper. "Please don't hurt me," she said, hoping he would catch her drift about her virginity.

"I won't," he said simply. He's not getting it, she thought. She reached her other hand to lace her fingers with his, but instead he gently grabbed her wrist and put both of her hands outstretched above her head. He let go only to shimmy her sports bra and shirt off, then went back to pinning her hands down near her head.

When he let go just for another second to align himself with her, she started to say his name once again, "Kido...ah!" She gasped as he entered her. She closed her eyes and mouth as a reflex to the new sensation of pleasure and pain mixed together.

"Oh...Ilie…" hearing Kidow say her name as he felt himself inside her filled Ilie with a sense of excitement. He moved slowly back and forth for a while, occasionally pecking kisses on her neck and shoulder, keeping his head down. She wished he would let go of her arms so she could pull his lips to hers. She wanted to kiss him and wrap her arms around him, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

It wasn't long before he started thrusting faster and harder, which was more than she could handle in that moment. She clenched her lips to muffle her moan and turned her head toward his, barely bumping her nose to his cheek. He instinctively tilted his head to face her. His small reaction was what she needed to muster the courage so say through heavy breaths, "Please...slow down...it's too much." He obliged.

Then, to her surprise, he pressed his forehead to hers, and said softly, "I'm sorry." She felt so loved and protected in that moment, wishing it could last forever. She was thankful that he stayed that way the rest of the time, forehead to forehead, moving slowly for her sake.

Without thinking, she lifted her leg to gently graze his backside. This caused a reaction she had not anticipated. "Oh, God...Ilie…" Her heart jumped when he said her name with such satisfying pleasure. He thrusted harder, causing her to let out a moan, before he grunted and finished, careful to do so after pulling out.

He let go of her hands to support himself on his elbows, one on either side of her head. She felt weak and lay still, enjoying his physique. Their position made her feel safe, like his body was an impenetrable shield protecting her.

When he finally got up, he pulled on his underwear and pants, then grabbed a rag to wipe off her stomach. She suddenly felt very naked and folded her arms over her chest while he cleaned her off. His smirk only made her feel more self-conscious. She sat up as he dropped the rag on the floor and handed her clothes to her.

"I'm going to grab a drink," he said, turning towards the door.

"Wait, can you hand me the rag?"

"Why?" he asked, confident he had cleaned her off well.

She lied, "You missed a spot."

He grabbed it and handed it to her. "Feel free to join me down there when you're decent."

Not bothering with a shirt or shoes, he left the room.

Ilie wiped herself, then looked down at the rag to see a small amount of blood mixed with bodily fluids. She froze for a long minute, processing what she had just done. I just gave up my virginity...for Kidow...to comfort him after he was forced to kill Qasim. Oh my god, Qasim is dead! She envisioned Kidow decapitating Qasim, and the vivid image loomed in her mind. She felt a strange sense of dishonor at her sexual activity on the very day a man she knew lost his life. I wish Kidow was here to talk to about this. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks that he had left as soon as they had finished.

In an instance, she realized she lost any sense of safety and felt utterly abandoned. She threw herself down on the bed, pulled the covers up over her body and let the tears flow.

I'm so stupid. Lizzy was right, men just want one thing. And I gave it up so easily. Why didn't I fight? Why didn't I say "no" or "stop?" I'm so stupid! She tortured herself analyzing his behaviours. He just left. And he got dressed before helping me get cleaned off. He wouldn't even look at me! I'm not attractive to him. I'm just a way for him to get off. I told him I wasn't a whore! I told him that but I still let him treat me like one. I'm so stupid!

She stuffed the corner of the blanket in her mouth to muffle her cries. Her mind continued to agonize over the horrors of the day and the fact that Kidow saw her as nothing more than a sexual tool for comfort. Guilt and shame washed over her.


	4. Chapter 4

After pouring Kidow a drink, Mario asked, "Where's Ilie? I thought she would come right back down after bringing you dinner."

"She's probably resting," Kidow responded. "She might come down for a drink in a little bit."

"Hmm," Mario looked questioningly at Kidow as he wiped off a glass. Then his eyes got wide and he said, "Did you sleep with her?!"

Kidow grunted, "That's none of your business," finishing with a derogatory insult.

"You did!" He then grabbed a knife and waved it in a threatening manner, "Did you force yourself on her? If you hurt her I swear you'll regret it!"

Holding his hands up in defense, Kidow said, "Calm down, drag queen. I didn't force anything on her."

"So you remembered to ask her then?" Mario glared daggers at him.

"Well, not exactly…"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I...I didn't ask her, but she didn't push me away." Mario kept the knife up and continued to glare at him. "She never said 'no' or 'stop!'"

"You idiot!" Mario yelled. "You need to get your ass back up there and make things right with Ilie." He pointed the knife toward the stairs to emphasize his point.

"What the hell Mario? I came down because I needed a drink. In case you forgot, I've had a fucked up day!"

Mario yanked the beer from Kidow's hand and threw the glass on the ground, shattering it to pieces. Continuing his death glare, he said, "Man up! It's your choice to be an exterminator, NOT Ilie's!"

Kidow stood up, "She came to me to comfort me after I had to fucking kill a friend!"

Not believing him, Mario said, "You have no right forcing your perversions on her."

"It was consensual I swear…" he spoke with conviction, but his eyes indicated doubt.

Mario read him like a book and sensed his doubt. "You just had your way with her and came down here for a beer right afterwards, treating her like she's some hooker!"

Kidow's eyes widened as he replayed Ilie's words in mind, " _I'm not a whore!_ "

Mario stomped around the bar and shoved Kidow toward the stairs. "You need to get up there right now and apologize to that poor girl. Get on your hands and knees and beg. And if there's any truth to what you're saying, then you need to make sure you don't leave her side the rest of the night! Hookers sleep with you and leave, lovers wake up together the next morning."

"Lovers?!" Kidow was overwhelmed. Mario gave him one last aggressive shove, almost causing him to crash into the stairs.

Kidow scratched the back of his head as he stood outside his door. He took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as he entered his room.

Ilie tried to slow her breathing and calm herself down when she heard the door open.

"Ilie?" Kidow asked.

 _Gah! Why am I still here? Naked in his bed! I should've gone back to my room._ The embarrassment caused more tears to well up. She managed to choke them down and say, "Yeah, sorry I'm still here. If you could just turn around a moment, I'll get out of your way."

He sensed the sadness in her voice and figured she was crying. He grabbed a handkerchief and handed it to her. She quietly took it and started wiping her eyes and nose. He sat down with his back to the bed and said, "I'm sorry Ilie."

She sat up, holding the blanket up to cover herself. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes I did. I forced myself on you. That's why you're crying, isn't it?"

"No, I was just thinking about Qasim," she was trying to hold onto a few shreds of dignity.

He stayed silent, and she feared she made a mistake saying Qasim's name. She slipped on her shirt. To her horror, Kidow picked up the rag they'd used to clean up and observed the blood on it. Her face flushed red with a new wave of embarrassment.

Feeling like she'd lost all sense of pride, she covered her face with her hands and whimpered, "Oh God...you weren't supposed to see that…"

Remaining silent, he dropped the rag back down, stood up and turned off the light. Then he sat on the edge of the bed to slip his pants off before climbing under the covers. Taking that as a request to leave, she pulled on her skirt and wadded her panties in her hand as she stood up.

"What are you doing?" Kidow asked.

"I'm leaving you alone so you can sleep."

"Don't leave. Stay here with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

So she laid down on her back, face looking up rather than at the man next to her. She pulled the covers up to her chin, hoping to feel some sense of security amidst all the chaos.

"Come lay next to me," Kidow said gently.

She felt torn between guarding her heart and a strange new sense of duty to him. After a couple seconds, she rolled onto her side and scooted next to him. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arm draped over his bare, muscled stomach. With the arm she was laying over, he gave her a squeeze and rested his hand on her hip.

Ilie felt sad, and that lying next to him was more for his comfort than her own. She chastised herself for thinking so selfishly. _So what if this is how I lost my virginity? Nearly every girl I know lost hers through much worse, even horrific, circumstances. In fact, I did so comforting a brave man forced to kill a friend. I gave myself to a strong, courageous man. A man I think I love...who doesn't love me._ Her eyes misted.

"Ilie…" Kidow broke the long silence, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Yes, Kidow?"

"Did I force myself on you?"

Surprised by his question, "Um, what?"

"Did I force you to do something you didn't want to do?"

 _How do I answer him? DID he force himself on me? Did I want it? Yes, I know I wanted it. But I didn't exactly ask for it...and he certainly didn't ask me!_ "Well, yes and no…respectively…"

He was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Let me ask you something...would you have stopped had I said 'no' or 'stop'?"

He thought for a moment, "I honestly don't know."

His bluntness shook her. The idea of him being like the violent men she grew up around scared her. She removed the arm draped over him and pulled it into her chest.

He continued, "Ilie I'm sorry. I...uh…" He sighed as words escaped him.

"Why did you ask me to stay with you tonight?"

"Well, Mario made me see how I'd basically treated you like a wh...hooker. He said that hookers leave after sex, but lovers spend the whole night together afterwards…"

Her eyes widened and she cringed, "Mario knows?!" _God this shameful night just keeps getting worse!_

"He kinda figured it out…he was pretty mad at me…"

_I see...so Mario is more protective of me than Kidow…_

"So do you do whatever Mario tells you to do?" she asked, wondering if he really even wanted her there.

"Whenever it's something I want to do, then yes." His answer brought a faint smile to her face.

"Are you ever going to want to do this again? With me, I mean?"

"Do you mean have sex or spend the night together?"

"Both…"

"Probably...yeah...but I won't ever make you do something you don't want to do again. I promise."

Without thinking, she said, "I don't know if I'd ever be able to resist you." She then covered her face with her hands and said, "Ugh, why did I have to fall in love with an exterminator?" _What do I have to lose by saying it? I already know he doesn't love me. I'm pretty maxed out on my level of embarrassment at this point._

A few moments passed by before he said, "I am an exterminator. I have to be heartless to be ready to kill anyone who becomes a cagaster."

Her heart sank at his words, but she was relieved to no longer feel despair as she had just minutes ago. Instead she felt numb. Silence loomed in the air. She wasn't sure how much time passed before she fell asleep, nor was she certain of who fell asleep first.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Ilie was up before the sun. She made her way downstairs to make some coffee, only to find Mario behind the bar already drinking a cup while getting ready for opening. "Can I get you a cup?" Mario offered.

"Yes please," she replied as she sat down.

"Are you okay, honey?" he asked, passing her a cup full of coffee. He turned around to grab her some milk and sugar because he knew she didn't like it black. When he turned back around he saw her hands covering up her face.

"Gah, Mario, I'm so embarrassed."

"Did he hurt you? I'm going to kill him…"

She interrupted, "No, he didn't. He didn't hurt me at all."

Mario let out a relieved sigh. "Good. Hon, you got nothing to be embarrassed about."

She smiled and sat in silence as she drank her coffee. She was thankful to have a friend like Mario.

"Why don't you take the day off? You can go visit Lizzy."

"No, I don't think I could face her right now. If it's alright with you, I'd like to work. It'll help keep me busy." She couldn't imagine facing her traumatized friend while last night's events were on her mind.

"Alright. But if it gets to be too much, you just let me know."

She finished her coffee and helped with opening the cafe. As the morning progressed, she started to cheer up. Knowing she always had a place at Mario's and chatting with familiar customers helped her see that no matter what happened with her and Kidow, she'd be okay.

It wasn't until Ilie's shift was nearly over before Kidow made his way down.

"Hey Kidow, it's noon," Mario chastised.

"So what? I don't have to work today." He ignored a snide remark from a man about how nice it must be for exterminators to get so much time off.

"Here," Ilie said, handing him a newspaper and a cup of coffee. "You really should get up earlier. It's laundry day and I can't wash the sheets until you're up."

The same rude man obnoxiously said, "What'd you two do to make the sheets need washing so bad?!" Then he made a crude gesture with his hands.

Mario threatened to kick him out if he kept it up.

Another man jibed, "Be careful, Ilie. I hear exterminators like to get weird in the bedroom!"

Feeling a surge of confidence, Ilie jipped back, "Oh please, it was Kidow who couldn't keep up with me!"

Kidow choked to hold back a spit take. Everyone else in the cafe froze with eyes and mouths wide open. Pretending not to notice, Ilie hung up her apron and started out the door. She turned to Mario and said, "Okay, I'm off. I'm going to see how Lizzy's doing."

Her absence left the dining room totally silent. Feeling uncomfortable, Kidow stood up and said, "I'm not hungry, I'm going out."

"We're going to have a talk when you get back," Mario said sternly.

As he walked away, he heard the men grumble stuff about him taking Ilie's innocence.

Ilie found Lizzy walking on the rooftop where they first met. It was Lizzy's favorite place. Ilie joined her, and the two walked back and forth leisurely as they talked.

"How are you holding up?" Ilie asked Lizzy.

Lizzy shrugged, "It is what it is."

"Well I'm here for you. If you ever want to talk, or just not be alone."

"Thanks."

They walked in silence for several more minutes before Lizzy stopped and sat down. Ilie sat down next to her before Lizzy said, "I got invited to attend a university in E-01."

"Really?" _I didn't even know there were any functional schools anymore._ "Are you going to go?"

"I don't know…"

Ilie chose to remain silent, allowing her friend to direct the conversation.

Lizzy continued, "It was Qasim who got me in. Hadi came by this morning to tell me about it."

"Wow, that's incredible. Did you have any idea Qasim was doing that for you?"

"Not until today, no."

Ilie did not quite comprehend the significance of the opportunity until Naji showed up, saying, "Lizzy! Hadi told me the good news. That's so great!"

Lizzy retorted, "I don't even know if I want to go!"

Naji did not hesitate to scold her, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. Why not?!"

"This is my home! I don't want to leave everybody I know...and E-01...I'm scared I'd be around a bunch of snobs who have no clue what it's like to grow up in slums like these…"

"Don't be stupid. Those are just excuses and you know it. Do you know how many people would kill for this chance?"

"Don't lecture me! I just need some time to think about it…"

"Fine," Naji finished, obviously frustrated with her.

The three of them spent the early afternoon together, keeping the conversation light and avoiding anymore talk of Qasim or school.

Around 3pm, Ilie decided to head back home. She wished she could do something more for Lizzy, but felt totally helpless. _I can't imagine watching something like that. To see someone you know, who cares about you, be decapitated._ She cringed at the gruesome image in her head.

When she came back to the cafe, she found the "closed" sign in the door and the place totally empty. _I wonder where Mario and Kidow are._ She found herself standing in Kidow's doorway, her mind wondering about what the future held for them. A book caught her eye. She went in to grab it, then sat on the bed and started reading.

_Meanwhile..._

Kidow returned to the cafe just before 3. The dining room was empty. He was about to head up to his room when Mario stopped him. He put the closed sign on the door and told him to join him in the kitchen. Kidow reluctantly followed him in. Kidow leaned back against a counter while Mario stood just up a couple feet away from him, arms crossed.

"Just what exactly are your intentions with Ilie?"

"I don't know, man. I haven't thought about it."

"Well I can tell you that Ilie has."

Kidow thought a while before responding, "I'm an exterminator. I can't...I can't get close to her."

Mario finally understood Kidow's dilemma. "It's too late Kidow. You've already become attached to her. She knows what you'd have to do if she ever started turning. You're already at the point where you'd feel devastated if it came to that. So why hold back now?"

Kidow stayed silent, mentally chewing on Mario's words.

Switching gears, Mario said, "Well you've already crossed a line. A point of no return if you will. So I need to get this point across to you - if you and Ilie continue to be physical, you must ALWAYS treat her with respect. You cannot expect her to be like hookers and porn stars." Kidow cringed at being called out on his sexual exploits. "It can't be all about you. You gotta give more than you take, you catch my drift?" Kidown nodded. "You NEVER push or pressure her. No that we've got that settled, go away. I gotta get ready for the dinner crowd."

Ilie was startled from her reading when Kidow came into the room. "I'm sorry, I got caught up in this book and lost track of time."

"It's okay. How's Lizzy doing?"

Illie spent some time talking about how she could tell her friend was suffering but in denial. She brought up her school invitation, but she wasn't sure if Lizzy would go. Kidow explained that it was an opportunity she should appreciate because it would open up a lot of options for her. Ilie didn't quite understand the benefits of a higher education. Kidow described that depending on what she studied, she could get higher up government jobs or could return home as a doctor among other things.

"Wow, that would be amazing for her," Ilie observed. "What about you? How are you doing?" She asked, hoping he understood she was referring to Qasim's death.

He shrugged, "It is what it is. I'll be fine."

"That's exactly what Lizzy said."

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm sad. What happened to Qasim was terrible, and it's scary to think about how that can happen to any one of us. But I'm grateful to be in a safe place without fear of someone attacking me if I walk the streets alone. I'm glad to have friends so I'm not alone. And to have you around to protect us when there's an outbreak. My dad died to get me to a place where I could have a better life. I like to think that he's looking down on me knowing his death wasn't in vain. "

"What's got you all sentimental right now?"

"It's this book I was reading. It reminded me a lot about the things my dad taught me growing up."

"What kind of things?"

"Things like...nothing... just forget about it."

"Come on. You've told me about the village you grew up in, but you haven't said much about your parents. What were they like?"

She smiled as she thought about some of the happy memories with her parents. "They had a happy marriage, despite living in such turmoil. They never planned on having kids. They actually adopted me when I was little after my birth parents died from a cagaster attack. But they were hell-bent on making sure I could have some pleasant memories growing up. They had some old board games from when they were kids. We would play almost every week together. My mom died when I was 10. Even though both my dad and I lost any sense of joy for a long time, we grew closer together. It was during that time he got more serious about my self-defense training, but he still made sure we played board games every week. It was a way of keeping her memory alive."

"It sounds like he loved you and your mom very much."

"Yeah, he did. And he always hoped one day I'd be able to have a marriage like he had with my mom. He told me that if I felt I must, I could settle for a man who would simply protect me, but he wanted me to try to find something more…"

"What did he mean by something more?"

"Like what he and my mom had."

"Can you describe it to me? I've never really seen a married couple. At least not up close."

Ilie pushed out any hopeful feelings about his line of questioning, chalking it up to curiosity versus real interest in her. She felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, and she laid her head down and closed her eyes while talking, slowing down the more she went on. "My dad described it in detail to me many times. He said a healthy marriage is built on mutual trust. There should be no secrets between them. It has love, expressed through affection, doing things for each other, and just being there for each other. A husband's first priority is protecting and loving his wife, and a wife's first priority is caring for and loving her husband."

He had been looking at her the whole time she was talking. But his eyes dropped to the floor as he said, "I'm not capable of all of that…I can't give you what you want."

"All I want right now is sleep," she replied wearily.

He watched her drift off. Then he knelt next to her and gently stroked her cheek. He moved his hand to her shoulder for only a second before clenching his fist. Quickly and quietly, he dashed out of the room. After eating a light meal downstairs, he went outside to work out.


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later, Illie woke up and noticed it was dark outside. _I hope it's not too late. I didn't plan on sleeping for so long!_ When she came downstairs, Mario told her it was nearing ten o-clock. Just a couple of guys were at the bar, deep in their own conversation. Ilie heated up some leftover stew for her dinner. As she ate, her and Mario got to chatting.

"So did you and Kidow get a chance to talk this afternoon?" Mario pried.

"Yeah a little bit. He was asking me a lot of questions about what my family was like."

"Is that so?"

"Mario...do you think Kidow would ever consider marriage?"

"Why do you ask? Is that something you want?"

"Well, yeah. My dad always encouraged me to guard my heart and save myself for my husband if I could...but you already know that ship has sailed. But I don't imagine Kidow would ever go for something like that."

"He may surprise you."

"I doubt it. Everyday he talks about having to be a heartless weapon. It's kind of creepy."

"Honey, you know why he talks that way, don't you?" She shook her head 'no.' "Do you know what his biggest fear is?"

"No…"

"It's being forced to do to you what he had to do to Qasim. He puts up a tough front to hide his fear. That's why he tries not to get attached, and why he doesn't want to make you any promises."

Her eyes widened at the illumination. "Oh! I never really thought of it like that…" Then she stood up and said, "I have an idea. Where's Kidow now?"

"He went out somewhere. It looked like he needed to blow off some steam, so I'd check his usual work-out spots first."

It took nearly an hour before she found him inside an abandoned, two story gym. He was upstairs swinging his sword in the empty room. One wall was covered in one long mirror with a ballet barre lined near it. The room was apparently once used for all kinds of dance and aerobics classes. A stack of exercise matts stood tall in the far corner. Large windows on the wall across the mirror let in a fair amount of moon and starlight. Her eyes had to adjust a moment before seeing clearly again.

"What are you doing out so late?" he asked when he saw her.

"Looking for you," she replied.

"Why?"

"I wanted to spar again. What do you say?"

"I don't know…"

"Look, I even brought my own knife this time," and she showed the knife she had with her.

"I guess we can."

"Great. But I'm warning you, I'm not going to go easy like I did last time!"

He chuckled, "Okay, Princess."

They took their stances, and without waiting for an invitation, she charged him. But this time, when he easily blocked her, she went right into another attack. The intensity of this round was far greater than last time. She never paused. With each of his blocks, she just kept coming at him.

"Woah," he said at one point. "You really were holding back last time."

"I told you," she said, then picked up the aggression.

He got a hold of her a few times, but she kept breaking free and going back at him. At one point, he grabbed her from behind, locking her arms down tight and standing in such a way she couldn't do much with her legs. She threw her head backwards into his chin as hard as she could, causing him to let go and hold his hand to his swelling face.

"What the hell, Ilie?!" But she ignored him, and charged him again. He deflected, but still got cut in the process. "Damn it! You're supposed to pull your strikes in a spar. What the hell is going on with you?"

Again, she charged him. There was no mistaking he was done. So without holding back, he swiftly disarmed her and pinned her to the ground. His hands and legs clamped down on her limbs tightly, ensuring she couldn't move. He kept his head far enough away from her so that she couldn't headbutt him again.

"What the hell is going on with you, Ilie?!" he demanded.

Her adrenaline started to wane, and the fight caught up to her lungs. She took a few deep breaths before answering, "I wanted to see if you had the guts to hurt me if I posed a threat to you…"

"You're hardly a threat to me. More of a nuisance."

"But I could turn into a threat. I need to know that you'd be able to take my life if I started to transform."

Her response stunned him. "So that's what this was about?" She nodded. "Can I let go now without you coming at me?" She nodded again.

He sat back and gulped down some water from his bottle. She sat up next to him, and he silently offered her his bottle when he was done.

As she sipped, he said, "Well I can tell you this much. Had you responded to me last night like you did just now, there's no way I'd have been able to sleep with you even if I wanted to. That kind of aggression makes it impossible to keep a hard on."

She spat some water out as she laughed, "That's so crude! Be respectful when talking to a lady."

"So I can bed you and beat you up in a fight, but I can't make crude jokes?" he smiled.

She smiled back and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Kidow, you were right earlier. I do want to be married to you. But I understand that's asking a lot of you because you're an exterminator. So I don't expect that of you. I just need you to know that I get there may come a day where I turn and I have to be killed. And I'm okay with that."

He remained silent, and she continued, "I also get that the opposite could be true. You could start to turn. And if I was the only one around you, I'd have to use your own sword to kill you. I hate the thought of that. I hate the thought of losing you at all. But I know it could happen. And I refuse to let fear hold me back from caring about you."

"How can you be so strong after everything you've lost?"

She thought about that for a moment, "Experiencing the love of those I lost before I lost them...that's what gave me the strength to endure their loss. Plus I was pretty fortunate to have brave parents instill courage in me."

"Hmm… we grew up so differently…"

As much as she wanted to ask him about his childhood, she held her tongue. They sat in silence for a while.

Kidow finally asked, "Ilie...do you want to have sex?"

She laughed at his unexpected bluntness. "What?!"

"Mario told me to ask first before I ever touched you again, but I've never actually had to ask before. Did I say it wrong?"

"Haha no, you said it right." She turned to face him. "Are you sure you want to sleep with the girl who just beat you up?" She very lightly ran her fingers over his bruised chin to emphasize her point.

He creased a brow and said, "You're remembering wrong. It was the other way around."

She kissed him and teased, "If you say so."

She straddled him and he pulled her in for another kiss. He pulled back for a moment to ask, "So this is a 'yes,' right?"

"Yes, this is a yes," she smiled shyly.

"Good," he said as he pulled her back in.

They only changed from their position to undress just enough to remove the clothing in their way. After she got back on top of him, he guided himself into her. She took deep breaths. Though it was still slightly painful, it was more thrilling than anything. But the thrill soon turned to embarrassment as she attempted but failed to move her hips in a good rhythm. She covered her face with her hands and said, "This was stupid. I don't know what I'm doing. And the floor is bruising my knees."

He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her forehead to his. "Slide off. I have an idea."

She moved over and sat with her legs to her side, smoothing out her skirt nervously. He grabbed one of the exercise mats and laid it out next to her. Catching on, she moved over to the mat as he did, this time positioning herself below him.

He moved his hand over intimate parts of her body and said, "I'll need your help before we can start again."

"I'll try," she said, "but only if you keep kissing me."

He obliged, kissing her passionately and guiding her hand down between his legs. Neither of them said anything else as they engaged in physical intimacy. He was careful again to pull out before finishing. Then he collapsed next to her, sliding his arm under her head.

"Um, what can we use to wipe this off?" she asked, looking down at the fluids on her stomach.

"Right," he said, looking around the room. He thought about using his underwear, but then thought better of it knowing it would be miserable riding his bike in just his pants. Instead, he took off his shirt and started cleaning her off with it.

"Won't people suspect if we go home together and you're shirtless?"

"It's almost midnight, Princess. Anyone who spots us at this hour is doing something lewd themselves."

"Still…" she said as she pulled on her panties. "Hey Kidow...I have a weird request…"

"What's that?" he said as he pulled on his pants and gathered his weapons in his belt.

"Um...can you carry me to your bike?"

He gave her a questioning look, "Why?"

"I just… I feel like if I walk… It's like a walk of shame… "

"How is it a walk of shame? We're walking together!"

"I know...it just kinda feels like any walking after...intimacy...is a walk of shame. Because if you're intimate anywhere besides your bed… it's 'shameful'..." she motioned with her fingers to indicate the quotes.

He rolled his eyes, knelt down and threw her over his shoulder. "This is what I get for bedding a princess," he said sarcastically.

"Kidow! This is not what I meant what I said to pick me up!"

"You weren't specific."

He ignored her shallow pleas to be put down and made his way toward the stairs, until she said, "Wait! My knife!"

"Ugh, seriously?" He went back into the room. "Where is it?"

"Over there, by the mirror," she pointed, forgetting that he couldn't see her hands.

Without putting her down, he knelt down and put the knife in his belt. "Anything else?"

"No, that's it."

He then carried her down the stairs and to his bike. After gracefully setting her down on the back seat, he took the helmet hanging from the handles and put it on her head.

She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Thank you." _Man, I really like him_.

"Don't mention it," he said smiling back.

On the ten minute ride back, she desperately wished she could read his thoughts. Then she thought about what to do when they got back to the cafe. _I guess I'll just go back to my room. How do I say good night? That seems so awkward to do in the hallway...awkward...the sex was kind of awkward. Maybe I should just let him take over that from now on...oh God! I should've waited to ask him to carry me after we got back! That walk will be way worse than the walk to the bike. I can't ask now, that'll just be snooty... Get it together Ilie! You're overthinking everything...okay...I'll just go with the flow and accept whatever happens tonight. No matter what happens, I know I'll be okay._

When they arrived, she started to get off as Kidow swung his leg over.

"Stop," he said curtly.

She froze. He placed a hand on either side of her hip, leaning slightly to be eye to eye with her.

"Can you truly be okay settling?"

She bit her lip to hold back a hopeful smile, then said, "What do you mean?"

"I can't give you all that other stuff. At least not yet. There's things from my past I'm not ready to talk about, and I don't really know how to express love. I'm selfish and stubborn. I can't even promise you that I'll change. You need to know what you're getting when you're getting me."

"Kidow, what are you saying?"

"I can protect you with my life, I can provide for you, and I can be faithful to you. Is that enough for you?"

Of all the ways she anticipated the night to go, she did not expect this. She knew she wished for more, but he was offering more than many other men. And her feelings for him made it a no-brainer for her. "Yes," she said simply.

"Alright. Then I'll take you as my bride." He picked her up, this time with his arms under her arms and knees.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilie talks to Lizzy about her relationship with Kidow, when they're suddenly attacked by a couple of men with very ill-intent. They escape, but Ilie is left with a terrible injury.

Ilie's mind would not allow her to sleep that night. When she was sure Kidow was asleep, she snuck out for a walk. She almost grabbed a gun, but thought better of it since she'd never learned how to properly use one. Growing up, even though her family owned a gun, they couldn't afford ammo to practice with. So she grabbed her knife and went out.

The moon was bright, making her feel safe. She made her way to the watchtower, hoping against hope that Lizzy might be there. She knew Lizzy often sat out there on nights she couldn't sleep. To her relief, Lizzy was already there, sitting with her back propped against a wall so she was facing to torn down western gate

Ilie sat down next to her. "You couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"No, I can't stop thinking about the scholarship. Everyone wants me to go, but I hate the idea of leaving here."

"You can always come back when you finish though."

"Yeah I know...but living in E-01, surrounded by a bunch of rich snobs...it sounds like hell."

"You don't know that everyone there is a snob. Plus, we can talk on the phone everyday, so you definitely won't be totally alone."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to push me away so you don't have to put up with me anymore?" she joked sarcastically.

"No, not at all. I just don't want you to miss out on an amazing opportunity that so many other people would kill to have."

"I know, I know. You're right...I should be grateful….so what about you? What's got you up so late?"

"Well...um...Kidow kind of asked me to marry him…"

Lizzy's eyes widened in shock. "Kidow?! Kidow the exterminator _proposed_ to you?!"

"He's more than an exterminator, Lizzy. And I don't know that I'd call it a proposal per se...it was more like an offer…"

"Woah, backup. Explain in detail what happened. What exactly did he say and what did you say?"

"So he was asking about my parents and what my family was like growing up, and that led into a conversation about marriage and what marriage looks like…"

"Aaaand…?"

Ilie took a deep breath. _The whole reason I'm talking to Lizzy is to tell her the truth so she can give me a logical perspective on this_ , she reminded herself. She blurted the words out quickly, "I told him that my dad encouraged me to seek out a man who could give me a healthy marriage based on mutual trust and love, but that it would be okay if I needed to settle for someone who could simply provide and keep me safe. At first he said he couldn't give me what I wanted, but later he asked me if I could settle for him. He promised that he could protect me with his life, provide for me and be faithful to me...and I said yes...and then he said he would take me as his bride…"

"Wow...so it kinda sounds like you already made up your mind…"

"If I'm being honest, everything in me is saying to be with him. There's nothing in me doubting this. But I trust you, Lizzy. And there's this small voice in my head saying to talk to you about all this… just so I can hear about this from a logical person."

"Okay. Well despite the fact that he's crude and lives a life of violence, he does seem to care about you. And he's more than capable of protecting you. But this city isn't like the town you grew up in. There's plenty of good men around here, so don't jump into this thinking Kidow is your only option at a safe life. And what's the rush in getting married? Why not keep it simple and court for a while?"

"Yeah I guess when you put it that way, it does seem a bit rushed. There's really no major reason for us to move so quickly…"

"Let me ask, did something happen between the time we said he couldn't give you what you want and when he essentially made you that lame offer of marriage?"

"Geez, you're so perceptive...and annoyingly pragmatic...yeah, I may have...kind of...slept with him…"

Illie still didn't want to tell Lizzy that she had actually slept with Kidow two times, the first time being the night Qasim died.

"I see... It's usually really hard to slow down once you've gotten physical."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Look, just remember that a day will come when the newness and excitement wears off. Do you really think he'll be there for you in the long haul?"

Ilie thought about her parents. They always seemed happy together, but then she remembered her dad telling her there are times in marriage when you're not "in love," but you still love each other. It's less about feelings and more about commitment. She couldn't imagine losing the feelings she had for Kidow, but Lizzy's words gave her pause.

She finally answered Lizzy, "I...I think so...but now you've got me rethinking everything. Which I guess is why I wanted to talk to you. Thank you, Lizzy. You've given me a lot to think about."

"Your welcome. For what it's worth, I don't think Kidow is the _worst_ choice in the world," Lizzy kidded with a smile.

Ilie laughed and gave her friend a nudge. But she was quickly jolted from the special moment when two men roughly grabbed both girls from behind.

"We couldn't believe our luck when we saw two young beauties just sitting out here, all alone in the dark, waiting for us," Lizzy's attacker chided, making their intentions clear.

Ilie threw her head back as fast and hard as she could, giving her attacker a bloody nose and causing him to let go of her. She then grabbed her knife. After a short struggle, she managed to stab him and send him running. She looked over to see the other man holding a knife to Lizzy's throat. Instincts drove Ilie to charge him full force, freeing Lizzy from his grasp.

"Run, Lizzy!"

Instead of running, Lizzy grabbed a rock, looking for an opportunity to help Ilie in her struggle. But seeing the knife fight ensue caused her to hesitate. Both Ilie and the assailant landed painful blows. The man eventually conceded, stumbling away bleeding, but not before slicing a deep gash in Ilie's calf.

Lizzy ran up to her, "Ilie! Oh my god! That isn't good. You're bleeding a lot."

Ilie couldn't respond, but instead she slumped to the ground, took a few deep breaths, and vomited. Lizzy removed her outer shirt, wadded it up and applied pressure to her wound. Ilie yelled out in pain.

"Ilie!" Kidow ran up to her. "You idiot, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?!" He turned to Lizzy, "What happened?"

"We were attacked by two guys. Ilie fought them off."

"Which way did they go?!"

"That way, back towards the market district."

"Keep applying pressure. I'll be right back."

Ilie felt dizzy, but the pain in her leg kept her alert.

"Talk to me Ilie. How are you doing?!" Lizzy begged.

"My leg hurts...and my head is spinning...was Kidow here? Where'd he go?"

"He went after the guys who attacked us…"

Ilie's eyes widened, "Do you think he...is he going to kill them?" She started to push herself up, but failed to get further than a couple inches off the ground before falling back down in pain.

"Don't worry about that right now. You need to sit down. When he comes back, we're taking you to the hospital."

Less than 10 minutes later, Kidow returned with blood splattered on his shirt. It looked as if he already wiped off any that may have gotten on his skin.

"Come on, we gotta get you out of here. Can you stand up?" he asked as he wrapped his arm under her arms.

"Yeah I think so," she gasped, relying entirely on his strength to lift her up. Once she was standing, Lizzy put her other arm over her shoulders.

They walked like that for a few minutes before Kidow said, "This is too slow. Will you be okay on my back?"

Ilie nodded. He lifted her up on his back and said to Lizzy, "Try to keep up."

They jogged the rest of the way, about 3 miles, to the hospital. Kidow cursed himself for leaving his motorcycle back home. As they were jogging, Ilie said to Kidow, "Well I'm certainly a nuisance now, huh?"

"Sure are, Princess," Kidow joked.

Ilie smiled, then said seriously, "I'm so sorry Kidow."

"Just be smarter from now on, alright?"

When they arrived at the modest hospital, they were quickly taken back to a room that doubled as both an exam and minor operation room. Ilie sat on the table holding Kidow's hand while Lizzy stood, pacing back and forth as the doctor quickly examined her.

As she was being examined, a staff member came in with a clipboard, asking her questions and writing answers down on the paper. Her head was swimming and she barely processed what was happening.

She never heard the worker ask Kidow, "And you are…?"

"Her husband," he said without missing a beat.

Though Ilie didn't hear, Lizzy noticed his answer. The worker asked a few more questions and took down notes before leaving.

The doctor then said, "Everything looks good but your leg. I need to operate quickly...but we're out of anesthesia."

Both the girls' eyes got wide and Ilie tightened her grip on Kidow's hand.

The doctor continued, "It's going to hurt. It'll be much worse than when you were stabbed. But if I don't operate, that can lead to life-long muscle damage. Worse case scenario, your leg never heals properly and loses any function." Ilie's eyes started to fill with tears. "We have restraints to tie you down flat on your back, but it's not my recommendation. Some people pass out from the pain, others vomit. If you vomit while being restrained flat on your back, you could start choking. Unfortunately, we're low on support staff." He turned to Kidow, "You look strong. Can you sit up behind her and hold her arms down?"

"Yeah," he nodded without even blinking.

Ilie's tears were flowing steadily at this point. Lizzy stood frozen in fear at what her friend was about to endure.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with the supplies and my assistant." He stepped out of the room.

Ilie looked at Lizzy, then Kidow before verbalizing her fear, "Oh my god, I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm so scared."

Lizzy's face paled. Kidow turned to her and said, "Lizzy, you wait outside." She stared at Kidow in terror. "I promise you, she's going to be okay. She'll need you after this is over. Go!"

Lizzy followed his instructions and left the room. But instead of going back to the waiting room, she slumped down against the wall right outside the operating room and let her own tears flow.

Kidow turned back to Ilie, who started hyperventilating. "Ilie, calm down. Take deep breaths...slow your breathing."

She forced herself to slow down her breaths, and she started to feel light-headed. "Kidow, I'm so scared. I don't want to do this."

"You're the badass who just fought off two massive guys intent on raping you, and you're scared of a little operation?"

She laughed a little, but the thought of the impending pain she was about to endure wiped the smile off quickly.

Kidow tried to comfort her, "I'm going to be with you the whole time. And as soon as this is over, I'm going to get some propane so you can take a nice, hot shower."

Ilie leaned her head against his chest and tried to muster up some strength. He stroked her head and cheek until the doctor and assistant came back in.

As they were setting up, Kidow climbed behind her on the back of the table. His back was supported by the wall. Her heart pounded with fear as she leaned back against him. Ilie closed her eyes and squeezed Kidow's hands as the assistant strapped three restraints tightly over her legs.

"Here," the assistant said, causing Ilie to open her eyes. "Bite down on this." He handed her a thick piece of leather. She reluctantly took it and put it in her mouth. "We're ready." He gave Kidow a nod.

"Cross your arms," Kidow whispered in Ilie's ear.

After she did so, he wrapped his arms around hers and held her down tight. She laid her head back against his shoulder.

"You can do this, Ilie," he assured her.

She gave him a small nod in response.

She whimpered and tensed her body as they started cleaning her wound. But as they started the procedure, her agony began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't do any kind of medical research for this, so please forgive any fallacies around Illie's injury!


	8. Chapter 8

Ilie screamed in agony through her leather gag as the doctor began repairing her lacerated calf. She felt Kidow's arms tighten against her own as she tried to break her arms apart. Fighting his grip and biting on the leather strip barely distracted her mind from the searing pain in her leg. Despite clenching her eyes shut, tears continuously streamed down her cheeks.

Lizzy could only take a few minutes of hearing her friends scream before leaving her spot outside her room. She sat in the waiting room the rest of the time.

At one of the more painful moments, Ilie spat out the leather strip and turned her head to throw up. She groaned through the pain for the next minute. Fortunately the doctor's assistant managed to step away quickly from the procedure to wipe her and Kidow off.

As he was wiping, she cried weakly, "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," Kidow gently hushed her. "You're doing great."

The assistant put the gag back in her mouth before returning to the doctor's side. Throughout the surgery, she was either groaning or screaming through the pain. She had no idea how much time had passed before they were finally done, but it felt like hours. When Kidow finally released her arms, she let out a sigh of relief. Even though she was exhausted, her adrenaline kept her wide awake.

"We do have a recovery room available, but we are short on nurses. You'll be lucky if one comes to check on you more than once," the doctor explained. "But still, I'd like you to stay here for the night." He faced Kidow and continued, "That way you can notify us immediately if something goes wrong." He then briefly explained how to take care of her leg and the healing process.

The medical assistant brought in a rolling bed to take her to recovery. Kidow climbed off the operating table and lifted her from the table to the bed.

As they wheeled her to the room, Kidow said to her, "I'll be right back. I'm going to get Lizzy."

Ilie simply nodded in response. She felt her nerves settling and the exhaustion taking over, making her eyes heavy. By the time Kidow and Lizzy arrived in her small but surprisingly adequate recovery room, she was beginning to drift.

Ilie woke up as Lizzy and Kidow started talking, but she kept her eyes closed and listened in on their conversation.

"She'll be okay, Lizzy. Her leg will need time to heal, but her life was never in danger."

"But I heard her screams!"

"It sounded worse than what it was. I watched what they were doing...she's just got a low pain tolerance," he said stoically.

"How can you be so apathetic about this?!" Lizzy replied angrily.

"I'm not. I hated seeing her in pain like that...but she needed me. I couldn't have been there for her if I let myself get emotional…"

"You mean like I did?" Lizzy looked down, obviously disappointed in herself.

"No, that's not what I mean. You wouldn't have been able to hold her down like I did. She'll need you when she wakes up."

"I think she'll need you more...she's really falling for you, you know."

"Heh, is that why she ran out in the middle of the night?" he asked sarcastically.

"She just needed to process everything that's happened between you recently. And wanted a friend to talk to about it."

"She's smart, choosing you to talk to. Someone who hates me can definitely give her a better perspective on things…"

"I don't hate you...I know why you had to do what you did…" she said, knowing he was referring to her witnessing him decapitate the only father figure in her life.

"But you don't like me."

"I wasn't sure if you'd actually be there for her…"

"I know she can do better than me. But I'd die before letting anything happen to her."

"And kill for her too, apparently."

Not wanting to talk about his violent actions just a couple hours earlier, he asked, "So are you going to school in E-01?"

"That's another thing Ilie and I talked about tonight. I guess it'd be pretty dumb of me not to, huh?"

"Is that what Ilie said?"

"Not in so many words, but basically, yes."

"Well I agree with her. It's an incredible opportunity for you."

"Anyway, don't change the subject. We were talking about you and Ilie!"

"Ha, you just don't let up, do you?"

"Nope," she smacked her lips together. "So what makes you think you deserve her?" She asked more out of curiosity for his answer. Based on the night's events, he had already proven himself in her eyes.

He looked down, folded his hands and said, "I know I don't. I never did. I only want to be with her because I'm selfish. She's the first woman to ever look at me as more than just a weapon to take down cagasters. She's the only one who showed any interest in me. And I tried to push her away. But then when she came to check on me after Qasim…" he squeezed his hands, making his knuckle white and brought them to his forehead. Then he said, "God, I'm such a selfish ass…"

Confused, Lizzy asked, "What do you mean?"

Keeping his head down and hands folded, he said, "After I killed someone, someone she even knew. She came to see how I was doing. What kind of a woman does that? And when I saw her there, looking at me like a person and not the heartless bastard I felt like I was...I couldn't resist her...I think I forced her into something she wasn't ready for."

Lizzy waited a while to respond, contemplating what he had just shared with her. Then she finally said, "Well if I ever discover that you hurt her, I'll figure out a way to kick your ass. But based on my conversation with her earlier tonight...I don't think you made her do anything she didn't already want to do."

She waited for him to respond, and when he didn't she continued, "I think she really loves you. And from what I saw tonight, it looks like you love her too. But I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her: there will come a day when things aren't so new and exciting anymore. You'll be used to her looking at you like a person and not the bastard you are," she said with a humorous tone. "She's in it for the long-run, even when the spark dies down and you're more aware of each other's faults. I hope you are too."

He looked over at her with a smirk and said, "How did you get to be so smart?"

She shrugged and answered, "I just watch people. Ever since I was really young, I just observed how people behaved. And one thing I picked up on was what makes couples fizzle out and what makes them last."

"I can see why Qasim thought you should go study in 01. You're going to fly through all your classes."

"Haha, maybe. I just wish I knew what I wanted to study. I never imagined ever having a choice, so I've never thought about it before."

"Too bad no one would pay a therapist these days. You'd be incredible at that."

Even though mental health professionals were a thing of the past, they both knew about them through books and old movies and TV shows.

"Meh, I'd hate trying to help whiny people complain about their problems all day long. I'm already getting tired of helping my friends with their problems," she said with a smirk.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Friends," she said, and stuck out her hand.

He gave her a firm shake and said, "Well friend, why don't you try to go get some sleep? You've had a traumatic day yourself. Go get some rest."

"Alright, I think you're right. But I'm going to come see her first thing in the morning!"

When the door closed behind her, Kidow pulled his chair up to Ilie's bed and stroked the hair from her face. He was about to lay his head down until she rolled over to face him.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, you didn't," she said with a smile, giving away her eavesdropping.

"So you heard all that, huh?"

Aware that she may still have vomit breath, she loosely covered her mouth with her fingers before responding, "Yeah pretty much...so I'm not just some nuisance anymore?"

"Oh, you're still a nuisance," he joked.

Annoyed, she frowned and rolled her eyes. Even though she knew he was joking, she wasn't particularly in a joking mood.

He then placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead while caressing her head. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, thankful for the gesture that was better than the sweet words she was hoping for just a moment ago.

He pulled back and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"My leg hurts a lot. There was one moment it throbbed really sharply. I had to clench my fists and breathe through the pain, but if that's the worst of it then I think I can manage. Right now I'm actually starting to feel really hungry."

"I can help out with that last part."

Kidow then grabbed a protein nut bar from one of his cargo pants pockets, opened it and gave it to her.

She sat up to eat it. After she got halfway through, she cleared her throat and said, "It's a little dry…"

"Geez, is nothing good enough for you, Princess?" he said sarcastically.

"You get some sort of weird kick out of picking on me, don't you?"

He winked and smiled in response.

"I am thankful for the bar. I only meant that it was making me thirsty," she explained.

"Alright, hold on."

He left the room and came back with a large cup of water. She gladly took it and quickly gulped down half the cup.

"Thank you, Kidow," she said breathily.

She then scooted over and invited him to lay down next to her. He argued against it at first, not wanting to disturb her rest, but she insisted that she would be fine and he should try to get some sleep too. So he reluctantly gave in. She lay her head in the nook of his shoulder and draped her arm over his midsection.

After they were settled in, she slipped her hand under his shirt and started tracing along the definitions of his abs and pecs.

Without moving his head, he glanced down at her and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Groping you," she teased. "Why? Do you want me to stop?"

"I didn't say that…"

She giggled and kept moving her hand along his body, until he grabbed her hand to stop her when she accidently traced her hand on a certain spot on his side.

"That tickles," he said seriously.

His serious tone, along with the idea that the fierce, strong warrior next to her had a tickle spot caused her to giggle for several seconds

"What's so funny?"

"It's just funny to think that Kidow, the greatly feared exterminator of the Far East, can be ticklish," saying it out loud made her giggle some more.

He shifted slightly and started gliding his hand under her shirt, saying, "If you get to grope me, it's only fair I get to do the same to you."

She smiled and opened her mouth to respond, but before a word could come out she felt a shooting pain in her leg, causing her to close her eyes and tense her body, letting out a very faint groan. Catching onto her pain, he removed his hand that was making its way to her chest and grabbed her clenched fist that was on his stomach.

"Squeeze my hand if you need to," he whispered.

She gripped his tightly until the pain subsided about 30 seconds later. Now uncomfortable in her position, she adjusted her body so that she was laying on her back, her head still on Kidow's shoulder.

"Thank you...you know, I'm probably going to be tossing and turning a lot. You'd sleep better if you went back home…"

"Don't be stupid. Besides, that defeats the purpose of you staying here tonight since they don't have enough nurses to check on you regularly."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that…"

"Don't worry about me. You focus on trying to sleep the best you can."

Ilie felt her eyes getting heavy. Sighing, she turned on her other side so that her back was to him and said, "Okay, I'll try." A minute passed by before she said quietly, "Hey Kidow…"

"Yeah?" He matched her quiet tone.

"You know that thing you said to Lizzy earlier about wishing you hadn't been too forceful with me...well...um...I actually kind of liked that...and I wouldn't mind if you did something like that again…"

Confused, he quietly responded, "But...you were crying…"

Her voice got a little louder when she said, "I was crying because you left, you dope...not because of what we did."

Remaining quiet, he said, "How about we talk about getting kinky when you're feeling better. For now, Princess, just go to sleep!"

Ilie smiled as she gave in to her weariness, closing her heavy eyes and breathing deep, rhythmic breaths. _I love you Kidow_ , she thought as sleep consumed her, not realizing she had actually uttered the words out loud.

The night was rough because Ilie kept turning over and cringing from pain in her leg, causing her and Kidow to sleep through most of the morning. Around 11am, Lizzy came bursting through the door, waking them up from their rather comfortable spooning position.

"You have to leave, now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up - more characters will be OOC, especially Ilie's bio family. As tagged, this fic deviates from cannon.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been 3 months since Ilie arrived in the city of E-05. While she had been focused on making the city her new home and growing closer to her new friends, Kidow had been adjusting to sporadically steady work missions for the city magistrate. He had been acutely aware of soldiers from the capital city of E-01 coming to town claiming to work with the E-05 forces. Kidow, along with Hadi and Aisha, had doubts about their true intentions because of their conspicuous presence. They had even met a few times to try to figure something out, but never came up with a solid conclusion.

But he never imagined they wanted anything to do with him or Ilie until Lizzy burst into the hospital room, urging them to get out and hide because the E-01 soldiers were searching everywhere for Ilie.

Disoriented by Lizzy's outburst, Ilie jolted up. She immediately regretted it as the pain in her leg throbbed.

"Here," Lizzy spoke hastily as she procured a large backpack. "I managed to grab some of your things. Ilie, I got your boots because I thought they'd be better for your leg." She turned to Kidow, who was already gearing up, and continued, "Here, I stuffed in as many of your weapons as I could in my bag."

"Thanks, boss," he responded respectfully. He took the guns and knives and fixed them in his belt.

Ilie finally spoke up, "I don't understand. Why are they looking for me? What do they want with me?"

"I don't know exactly. It sounds like they want to take you back to some kind of headquarters or something. But they know you're here. If we hurry, we can leave before they get here and get you into the tunnels."

"Alright. Let's worry about those when we get to the tunnels," he said, indicating to Lizzy to put the boots back in her pack. He then turned to Ilie, "I'll carry you on my back until we get to the tunnels. They're not far."

Fear and confusion overwhelmed Ilie. Her mind could barely process what was happening, so she resolved to follow Kidow's instructions until she could wrap her head around what was happening. She couldn't even question why they were coming after her, only that she needed to get away fast.

With Ilie on his back and Lizzy, following close behind, Kidow led them quietly toward the front, only to spot E-01 soldiers outside making their way to the doors. Kidow cursed quietly to himself before leading back the way they came. A couple of turns later, they made it out a back door. Lizzy informed them of a trap door with a ladder down to the tunnels only a few blocks away. They skirted behind buildings and through a few alleys to avoid being seen by Ilie's pursuers. When they reached the trap door, Lizzy climbed down first, followed by a limping Ilie, and then Kidow. He picked Ilie up again, and they ran another couple blocks to a deeper part of the tunnels with no immediate access from above.

Feeling safer, they sat down to rest and assess the situation. Lizzy helped Ilie take her sandals off and get her boots on, cinching up the laces along the backs, making sure her injured leg was braced but not caught off from circulation.

Kidow finally spoke up, "Ilie, do you have any idea at all why they're after you?"

She focused her eyes and thought a moment, but felt perplexed. "No I don't. I don't understand any of this."

He pressed, "Think harder. Does this have anything to do with why you and your dad fled Area A?"

She snapped back, "I said I don't know!" The pain in her leg, the hunger in her stomach, and the lack of sound sleep were catching up to her at that moment. On top of all of that, the mention of her deceased father struck a nerve.

Kidow softened his expression, turned to Lizzy and asked, "Do you mind giving us a few minutes alone?"

Lizzy nodded and gave Ilie a quick hug before giving them some space. Kidow moved to the vacant spot Lizzy left in front of Ilie. He kneeled down, sitting up his heels so that he could be eye to eye with her.

Without meeting his gaze but wanting to speak before he did, Ilie said, "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just so overwhelmed and frustrated that I can't make sense of any of this."

"You're scared and injured, and I pushed you. Can you forgive me?"

She looked up at him and gave him a look filled with guilt and incredulity. She couldn't believe he was asking for her forgiveness when he just spent the last hour helping her and she was the one who snapped at him.

Reading her face well, he didn't wait for her to respond before saying, "Look, you've got two options. The first is we run. We'll be fugitives operating outside the law. We leave Area E altogether. They're less likely to find us that way…"

"We...us...if it's only me they're after, why are you willing to go with me?"

Stupefied, he said, "What the hell do you mean? You're my wife. If you run, I run!"

She chuckled, "Kidow, we never actually got married. You're not officially tied down to me…"

He sighed, "Are you really gonna make me find a judge or preacher and go through some lame ceremony?"

She laughed, adjusted her position and laid her face firmly on his chest. Her hands clutched his shirt as she said, "If you were any other man…" She closed her eyes as she thought about how his fierce protection of her and willingness to run away with her proved his commitment to her.

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her in a tight embrace with his face nuzzled against her hair.

He said, "To be honest, I am scared of living my life alone...I want you with me…"

Ilie pulled back to look at him. She laced her fingers with his, smiled and said, "I want that too, Kidow...I lo…"

Before she could finish professing her love, he put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. She enjoyed his affection, but was thankful he didn't try anything more passionate. She was in a dreadfully painful and weary physical state, and quite aware of the fact that neither of them had a chance to brush their teeth in almost 24 hours. His hand gently tightened on a fistful of hair on the back of her head, and he pressed his lips against her neck. She moved one of her hands to the back of his head and ran her fingers through his hair.

But it was less than a minute before a very clear, loud, "Ahem!" from Lizzy caused them to slowly break their embrace. So they settled for holding hands. She felt her nerves calming and her mind returned to her dire circumstances.

"So what's the second option?" she asked.

"You turn yourself in...since they want you alive, you could find answers by letting them take you. I'll follow at a distance to see exactly where they're taking you, and I'll get you out of there after figuring out what the hell is going…"

"Hmmm…" she was surprised at how practical the second option sounded.

Maybe there really wasn't anything to fear after all. Maybe, just maybe, there was a logical explanation for them wanting her. She began to question why they truly left Area A and fled all the way to Area E. There were plenty of safer towns a lot closer to home that they could have easily settled down in. Why _did_ her dad take her on such a far journey?

Then her mind really began digging. Was her dad involved in something she didn't know about. Impossible. He was rarely out of her sight. She did everything with him. She knew she was adopted, but was always told her biological parents died tragically from a cagaster attack. What if that wasn't true? Did her birth parents have anything to do with why they left Area A?

"Whichever one you decide, I will be your sword. I'll slay down anyone or anything beant on harming you…"

Based on last night's events, she knew he meant it. He gave her a couple minutes to weigh out her options.

"Well, Princess...what's it going to be?"

"I think...I want to turn myself in...I want to find out why they want me so badly...running away seems just as dangerous, and I'd rather die with the chance of knowing than die wondering would've happened had I stayed…"

"Alright then."

Lizzy spoke up, "Does this mean I can come back now?!"

Ilie smiled at her friend's bluntness. "Yes, come on."

Lizzy walked to Ilie's side and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Well, not really. But I'm as sure as I can be right now…"

"With my help, do you think you can walk?" Kidow asked.

Ilie nodded and stood up. Her leg throbbed, so she kept her weight on her healthy leg. Kidow threaded his arm under her shoulders and around her waist. She was a couple inches shorter than him, so he was forced to walk awkwardly with his knees slightly bent in order to support her properly.

The three made their way through the tunnels and climbed out a hidden entrance near the front of the city. After tearful good-byes and Kidow assuring her he would constantly be following her from a distance, she left them to turn herself into the 01 soldiers stationed at the front of the city. They took her to a vehicle and had her wait in the back seat, with one soldier guarded in the seat next to her and another outside the vehicle.

Kidow and Lizzy noted the chaos that was starting to ensue the city. Kidow did not want to take his eyes off Ilie, so Lizzy agreed to scout out what was going on and report back to him. About an hour after she left, soldiers started loading up in the vehicle holding Ilie.

 _Damn it, I don't know where they're going,_ Kidow thought to himself.

Then he quickly devised a plan to steal one of the other hummers close by, knowing he could easily take out any soldiers who got in his way. Ilie's vehicle took off, and just as he was about to make his move, he was caught off guard by the white hooded assassin who started engaging him in a sword fight.

Kidow noticed that the assassin took extra care to protect his right side. He managed to land a blow and knock the man's hood off, revealing that much of the left side of his face resembled a cagaster. He had a large, red bugeye and his cheek was scaly. But despite actually hitting the half man/half bug, the assassin did not stay down. He moved with supernatural speed, knocking Kidow's sword from his hand and pinning him against the wall.

"Where is Ilie?!" the man demanded.

Thinking the assassin was working with the 01 soldiers, Kidow asked, "What do you want with her?!"

"Just tell me where she is! She was with you a few weeks ago, so I'm counting on you knowing her whereabouts. Otherwise you're of no use to me."

Kidow took a quick moment to consider his answer before saying, "She already turned herself in…"

He backed off and said, "What?! Why the hell would she do that?"

"Who are you? How do you even know Ilie?"

The man glared at Kidow, as if inwardly debating how much he should disclose, before he relented, "I'm her brother, Acht...who are you to her?"

"I'm...I'm her husband…"

"Her husband? And you let her turn herself in?! You idiot!"

"Just tell me what the hell is going on! Where are they taking Ilie? What do they want with her?"

"It's too much to explain right now. We need to act quickly. Here," he said, handing him a key card. "They're taking her to the insect cage at E-07. The bugs there won't attack you. Use this card to get in. I'll meet you when you get there. For now, you need to help evacuate this city."

"What?! Why are they attacking the city?"

"They're trying to turn it into an insect cage like 07."

 _Damn_ , Kidow thought. His eyes widened at the thought of such horror befalling E-05.


	10. Chapter 10

Ilie's heart pounded as the car left E-05. Fears and doubts started filling her mind. Should she have run away? What on earth could they want with her? A sharp pain shot through her leg, pulling her thoughts away from everything but the pain. She grimaced and focused her breathing, trying her hardest not to let the soldiers surrounding her know the extent of her injury. But if they noticed, they did not show it. They all sat in silence as they drove toward the insect cage of E-07.

They pulled up to the tallest building in the seemingly abandoned city. Ilie managed to climb out quickly. Unfortunately, it was impossible for her to walk without limping. And even then she was slow. The soldiers grew impatient. Two grabbed her arms, one on either side of her, forcing her to move faster.

She was brought to an upper floor office, where two important looking men resided. One was clean shaven and dressed in a lab coat. The other had a beard and was dressed in Arabian style clothes.

"Ilie, welcome," said the blonde man in the lab coat with a smile.

"How do you know my name? What do you want with me?"

He sighed dramatically, "How pitiful. You don't even recognize your own father?"

Ilie had always known she was adopted. The idea that this man claimed to be her biological father barely registered in her mind. Griffith was the man who loved and raised her, not this strange figure.

"What are you talking about? My parents were killed by a cagaster… "

"Ha! Is that what Griffith told you? Do you really not remember Ilie? You were three years old when Griffith took you away from your mother and me."

Ilie stayed silent. During her preteen and early teenage years, she had often tried to remember her birth parents, but to no avail. Her adoptive parents were all her mind remembered.

"Then let me tell you. My name is Franz. For the first three years of your life, this was your home… Now that I think about it, I shouldn't be too surprised you don't remember me. Your mother was the one who spent all her time with you. Anyway, it seems Griffith grew attached to you as well, and for some reason he thought it unfit for you to be your mother's successor. It's been challenging trying to track you down all these years, but alas you're finally here. And it won't be long before you'll be set to take over."

Ilie waited a moment for him to elaborate. When he neglected to do so, she prompted, "Take over what? What do you mean by her successor?"

"As queen of the bugs. You see, your mother's mother was transforming into a cagaster while she was in labor. My own father, Emith Chilio, managed to deliver her and spare her life. That whole event caused your mother to take on some unique properties. When you were young, we discovered how to use her to communicate with and even command the bugs. But her condition is deteriorating. And since you're her daughter, we're confident that you possess the same capabilities as her."

"What do you mean? I've encountered cagasters several times and never have I been able to communicate with them! If I could, my actual father would be alive right now!"

"Well of course you can't right now. We have to run some tests then get you set up with a machine that allows you to communicate with them on specific wavelengths."

"What exactly do you plan on having me command the bugs to do? Do you intend to weaponize them for the military?"

At that, Franz looked over at the other man, who Ilie later learned was called Adham, one of the leading generals of the Allied Forces.

Adham said, "Not exactly… I plan on using you to create a world where people aren't afraid of each other turning into cagasters."

"What do you mean?"

Franz answered, "Another ability of the queen is to turn people, the ones with the correct genes, into cagasters…"

Adham interjected, "People are constantly living in fear of those around them turning into cagasters. The fear causes unnecessary chaos throughout the world. You will go city to city, using your abilities to create a signal to cause all latent cagasters to transform. Then you will promptly kill them."

Franz spoke up again, "Of course, we still need to run more experiments to perfect this before we can actually carry it out. That's why we haven't done so with your mother yet, except for this city and one other. When she transformed the city's residents into cagasters, she was unable to kill the newly formed cagasters, resulting in a city-wide massacre. And thus E-07 became an insect cage. Right now she can only have full control over the cagasters in this building, so that's why we walk around freely without fear of being eaten. Whenever we strengthen her signal to reach beyond the city, her mind and body's health suffer. Overtime, the repetition of this process has caused her overall condition to decline severely."

"And now you intend to subject me to these experiments… how can you do something so awful to your own daughter?!"

"I've never been one for sentiment. Besides, you have some time before we perform the more strenuous tests on you… "

A few moments of silence passed as Ilie had a scared and confused expression on her face.

Adham finally spoke up, "You will need to bear a daughter before we run the risk of causing you severe damage. If you behave and cooperate, I will allow you to choose your own mate. But if you fight us, I have several men interested in the job."

Ilie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She deeply regretted her decision to find out why they wanted her, and feared what was about to happen to her. Adham then had a couple of guards take her away, escorting her to her room. She limped along with them, the pain in her leg still throbbing from time to time.

When she was in her room, essentially a large closet with a bed, she contemplated what she could do. She knew she couldn't allow them to use her as a weapon of mass destruction. She had to get out of there, even if it meant losing her life trying. After several hours, the same two guards returned and ordered her to follow them, not giving her a clue as to where they were taking her.

They led her to an elevator, but instead of walking inside, she chose to fight. She swung her fists as hard and as fast as should, managing to give one man a black eye. But her adrenaline was not enough to overcome her injured leg and exhaustion. The other guard quickly subdued her. She was sitting on the floor, back turned to the guard standing over her with a tight, painful grip on her hair.

"You're going to pay for that!" he yelled threateningly.

He then kicked her hard in the back, causing her to double over and slump to her side. She expected another painful blow, but instead heard the sound of a blade slicing through flesh.

"Kidow?!" she asked wide eyed.

But as she turned over and sat up, she was surprised to see the white-dressed assassin standing over the bloodied bodies of the two men.

"Wh...what?" she was shocked to see the masked killer save her from a terrible beating.

"Ilie," his voice was gentle and affectionate.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" she asked weakly.

"I'm Acht, your brother. We need to hurry away from here. They know I came for you."

She stood up and grabbed the hand he extended out to her. He started to pull her along faster than she was capable of moving.

"Wait, slow down… my leg is injured, I can't run," she said.

He slowed down and led her down a couple hallways and into a room that appeared to be a long abandoned office space. She took a deep breath and leaned back against a wall.

"Are you okay?" Acht asked, standing a couple feet away facing her.

"... no! What the hell is going?!" Ilie felt like everything around her was disintegrating into utter chaos.

"A lot of shit is going on, and you're unfortunately in the center of most of it."

She took a minute to calm down and settle her nerves.

Then she said, "So you're my brother, huh? I don't remember you at all…but you obviously remember me… "

"I'm not surprised. You were young when you escaped. I was six years old when you were born. For three and a half years, you were a big part of my life."

"That's why you stopped when you saw me that day… you would've killed me otherwise… "

"No, I wouldn't have. I was only going up there to stop you."

"But what about all the other innocent people you killed? Are you and our father working together?"

Acht spat out, "Franz is not my father in any way. You are the only unfortunate one who carries his DNA. And it may not make any difference in your eyes, but none of the people I killed were innocent."

"You tried to kill Kidow!"

Acht paused before responding, "That's true… Franz used our mom's life as leverage to force me to hunt down exterminators. Up until him, I only targeted ones guilty of violent crimes. But I admit that fighting the Far East exterminator had an allure to it. I never imagined he would've been your husband."

"How do you… "

Acht answered before she could finish, "I found him when I went to E-05 in search for you, only for him to tell me you were coming here! He's going to meet us here whenever he can get away. Right now the E-05 soldiers should hopefully be resisting Adham's soldiers… "

"Why would they need to resist them?"

"They're planning on using mom one last time to force out all cagaster outbreaks in E-05. It'll probably turn that city into an insect cage like this one."

"I don't understand. How do Franz and Adham think creating insect cages makes the world a safer place for people?"

"Franz doesn't care what happens to people because he believes cagasters are the next step in human evolution, so he's trying to create a world of cagasters. And Adham is so fixated on forcing out all dormant cagasters that he doesn't care who dies in the process."

"They're crazy! They're both literally insane!"

"Yeah… Franz is only working with Adham because he provides all the funding for Franz's research and experiments… one of which is splicing human and cagaster DNA to create super soldiers… so far, I'm the only successful experiment to come out of that project."

When Acht said that, Ilie remembered back to when he battled Kidow, and seeing his cagaster legs as he climbed on the watchtower after her.

"Is that why you wear a mask?"

At that, he slowly lifted off the mask that covered his face, revealing the cagaster features along his left side.

"Yeah," he answered, looking down. "Do I scare you?"

Ilie stepped forward and embraced him in a tight hug. She could feel the unevenness of the cagaster legs where his abdomen should be, but his clothes provided enough cushion so that they only felt like lumps and not the spiky weapons they were.

Her eyes filled with tears and she cried, "Acht I'm so scared. I just want to leave here. I don't want to stay here to be experimented on and used as a bug queen. Can I just go home?"

He wrapped his arms around her, one hand gripped her shoulder and the other cupped the back of her head.

"Your home isn't safe right now," he said sadly.

"What do I do? I have nowhere to go! I still don't understand everything that is happening…"

She broke out in sobs. Acht held her and let her cry until she was all cried out, which took several minutes. When she steadied her breathing, she sat down and backed up against the wall. Her leg began to throb sharply and intensely, making it impossible to think about anything else. Tears spilled from her eyes as she inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth to endure the pain.

"Ilie?"

Acht was genuinely worried about her, but she couldn't answer immediately because of the intensity of her pain.

When it started to subside, she answered, "I'm okay. I just had to let the pain pass."

"What happened to your leg?"

"It's a long story for another time… right now I gotta figure out what I need to do…"

"Well, even more chaos should be erupting any minute now. Tania, our mom, knows I'm here with you, so she's emitting a signal to have all the cagasters eat anyone in sight."

"What, why would she do that?"

"All these years, Mom has allowed herself to be subjected to Franz's experiments because he promised he would leave you alone if she cooperated. Everything she's done has been to protect you. Now that she knows you're safe, she's trying to use what little time she has left to get rid of the people who would enslave you for life. Would you be willing to go to her now? Please let her see you one last time before she dies."

Ilie felt reluctant to do so, but she couldn't quite understand why.

"Is it safe to go to her right now? What if Franz or Adham is with her?"

"No, but nowhere is safe right now. And I'll be with you to protect you."

She contemplated a few moments, but could see no better course of action to pursue. "Okay… let's do it. Lead the way."


	11. Chapter 11

Amidst the chaos ensuing E-05, Kidow helped Hadi fight off the Allied Forces so they could orchestrate the evacuation of all the civilians. When an opportune moment arose to sneak out, Jin gave him a ride out of the city and toward E-07 to find Ilie. Jin dropped him off by the building that Acht had told him about. As promised, the key card worked allowing him access to the secretive HQ. Kidow made his way past a large room filled with dead cagasters to a staircase. He spent the next couple hours searching floor after floor of the repurposed office building for Ilie.

As he searched, he noticed something strange happen - the cagasters started attacking any person accessible. _So much for Acht's promise about the cagasters being harmless here_. He stayed in small spaces inaccessible to the large insects as he continued his diligent search. Finally, on a mid-level floor, a few yards away he spotted Ilie being led by Acht in a hallway.

When Ilie saw Kidow, she couldn't contain herself. "Kidow!" she yelled a little too loudly. Had it not been for her injured leg, she would have run to him at full speed.

In a flash, Kidow ran to her and pulled her in his arms. She gripped him tightly, face buried in his chest, never wanting to let go of their embrace. Upon their reunion, she had an urge to abandon her mission to find her mother and go home.

"Good, you made it," Acht said cooly, not voicing his doubts that Kidow would have survived the attack on E-05 or the hungry cagasters of the insect cage they currently resided in.

Emotions took hold of her, and Ilie couldn't control her sobs. "I'm so tired...I want to go home..." Her voice was muffled as she choked her words into Kidow's shirt.

He and Acht shared a knowing look. There was no home for Ilie to go back to right now. Then Kidow asked, "Where are you guys headed?"

"To the throne room, to see our mother," Acht answered.

Ilie started to ramble in attempts to catch Kidow up on everything about who she was and what was happening. But Kidow gently hushed her and said, "I'm pretty much caught up on everything. I found a video among your things… it was your dad's last words to you. He explained everything and why he raised you in Area A. Apparently Acht warned him about Franz discovering your location, and that's why he brought you all the way to E-05."

Ilie pulled away from Kidow just enough to turn toward Acht, giving him a wide-eyed look of surprise and appreciation. To think that her brother had been looking out for her all these months gave her a sense of peace and courage.

"Ilie, Mom doesn't have much time left. If you don't go to her now, you'll never have a chance to again," Acht persuaded.

Ilie felt a twinge of guilt. She never had a desire to meet her birth mother because she always believed her to be dead. The recent knowledge that she was actually alive still didn't feel real. Her leg hurt, her stomach growled, and her senses flared with anxiety at the multiple threats surrounding them. "I'm just so scared… I want to go home… "

Kidow spoke up gently, "Ilie, at this moment, the city is under a full fledged attack from the Allied Forces."

 _That's right… there's nowhere safe to go…_ Ilie agonized at the reminder. Then her friends came to mind. "Lizzy, Naji, Mario, are they…?"

"Aishi was getting civilians out of the city when I left. Lizzy was in charge of helping her get the children safely out. Hadi, Mario and the others were fighting off the Allied Forces while they evacuated. I'm sure they made it out by now. Last I heard Hadi was seeking reinforcements from our sister city. We can only hope they agreed to help."

Ilie took a few moments to process everything Kidow was saying. She could hardly wrap her mind around it because of her fatigued state.

Acht broke the silence, "I need to leave you two for a little bit. There's something I need to take care of…"

"What?" Ilie asked incredulously.

"There's some people, scientists, that are defenseless against the cagasters right now. Now that Kidow is here, I should see to them. I will meet you at the throne room as soon as I'm done." Acht gave them directions to the throne room, but Kidow was the only one who retained all the information.

They split ways. Ilie and Kidow made their way to a large, open industrial elevator within an open corridor that stretched from the floor to the ceiling of the skyscraper. On their way up, they were spotted by Adham and his crew of soldiers. Upon Adham's command, they immediately started firing on them. Kidow could tell they were ordered not to be kill shots by where they were landing. Fortunately, this gave him time to stop the elevator once it reached the next floor. He quickly scooped up Ilie and ducked into the first hallway. After winding their way through a few hallways, they came to another corridor that resembled the first one. Only this time instead of an elevator, there was a floor to ceiling set of stairs resembling a fire escape.

"They're not far behind us… how's your leg?" Kidow asked as he gently set Ilie down from his arms.

She slowly put pressure on it. "It's okay right now. I can walk on it for a little bit."

"Good. I'll hold them off while you climb up to the throne room. Here take this to be safe," he gave her the key card that Acht had given him earlier. Her eyes widened in fear, but not for herself. She feared for his life, being outnumbered by Adham's men. As if he read her mind, he said, "Don't worry about me. I've faced far worse threats before. I promise I'll meet you up there."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Don't you dare die on me."

He returned her embrace and kissed her head before saying, "Go!"

After reluctantly letting go, she climbed the indoor fire escape as fast as she could with her still injured leg. Kidow made his way back through the hallways they had just come down and quickly engaged in combat with their pursuers.

Kidow easily slew the soldiers he encountered on his way back to the corridor. Using one of the guns he had taken from one of Adham's dead soldiers, he landed a shot on Adham's shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Without any kind of defense, Adham was quickly spotted by a cagaster that promptly devoured him.

Before making his way back to Ilie in the throne room, Kidow sat down for a breather. He noticed a large gash in his left arm. He fetched a cloth from his tool belt and used his teeth and mouth to tie off the cut as best he could to slow down the bleeding.

* * *

After leaving Kidow and Ilie, Acht made his way to the primary experimental lab room, where he found Franz's team of scientists running around frantically.

"What are _you_ doing here, monster?" said one man, who had often abused Acht as a child, and was guilty of other atrocities.

Acht had no patience for dealing with him, and in one swift motion, he killed the man with his sword, and then killed another one who had been Franz's right hand man and often caused his mother much unneeded suffering. The half dozen other scientists stood frozen in shock and fear.

"You have nothing to fear from me," Acht spoke sternly, "If you wish to live, follow me."

"How do we know you won't kill us like you did them?" one woman spoke up, though shakily.

"Do you really think that you'd still be standing if I wanted to kill you?"

Another man, one who had always felt pity for Acht, but also knew the fear of his comrades, chimed, "Let's go guys. It's not like we have any better options. Wouldn't you rather take your chances with him than the cagasters that will inevitably find us here?"

"Follow me if you wish," Acht stated with finality before leaving the room.

The others quickly followed behind him. It took a while to weave through multiple hallways on several floors, avoiding both cagasters and Adham's soldiers, before they made it to a fully functional safe room. It was stashed with cots, nonperishable food, water bottles, and had a small toilet room resembling an airplane bathroom. The six people could likely last in there about a week, though uncomfortably. Acht secured the room, telling them not to come out until he came for them when it would be safe.

* * *

By the time Ilie reached the top of the staircase, she felt exhausted. But she mustered up her strength, resolved to see this through. Using the key card Kidow had given her, she unlocked the door to the throne room. The sight before her shook her to her core.

Franz stood with a gun to the head of a woman who had to be her mother. She could be mistaken for Ilie's twin were it not for her age lines around her eyes, which seemed to be worsened by years of experiments and psychological distress. Cords stretched from pads on her head to a large, complicated looking control panel. She was seated in a hospital-like chair mounted in front of the panel.

She and Ilie shared the same platinum blonde hair, deep blue eyes and pale complexions. In that moment, seeing the woman who had to be her mother, Ilie had a sudden desire to run to her and throw herself into her arms. Had it not been for Franz's threatening presence, she would have done so.

"Ilie!" her mother said with such hope and sadness.

"M-mom?"

"My daughter, it's really you…" a small smile crept onto her sorrow-filled face.

Ilie looked at Franz, "Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?"

Franz answered menacingly, "Tania is simply my insurance policy… no doubt Acht is on his way as we speak." Ilie understood now, Franz feared Acht would use the breakdown of order in the insect cage to take his life. He was threatening their mother to make sure he would survive this ordeal.

Her mother spoke up again, "Ilie, I am so sorry for everything… "

Ilie's eyes filled with tears. She shook her head to indicate that she had nothing to be sorry for, but she just choked on the words that couldn't come.

She continued, "Did Griffith take good care of you?"

Ilie nodded yes, and the words started pouring out in an effort to fit in years of memories into a few moments, "Yes, he did. He and his wife raised me in Area A, and they loved me with all their hearts. We lived in a small town and played board games every Saturday. Even when my mom died when I was ten, my dad - Griffith - made it a point to play games with me. He taught me to be strong and fight for myself. He… he died taking me to E-05… but I got a job working as a waitress for this man, Mario, who dresses as a maid and is so funny and charming. And I have my best friend, Lizzy… and I met a guy… he says we're married even though we never actually had a ceremony or anything. But he really cares about me, which I know sounds really naive and juvenile, but he risked his life to make sure I was safe in here to find you!"

Tania was crying and smiling as she soaked in her daughter's words, thankful she got to see her one last time. Ilie took one step forward, wanting to embrace her mother, but Franz gave her a hardened look and then pointed the gun at her.

"The exterminator's presence was pointless. Of course you're safe here. We wouldn't want to harm our next queen, now would we?" Franz said.

"Don't worry, Ilie, we won't let that happen to you," Tania reassured.

A crash through the door got everyone's attention. Franz immediately pointed the gun back to Tania, the barrel pushed against her temple, with his finger on the trigger. Just as he suspected, it was Acht who had bust his way in, swords and cagaster limbs raised for a fight.

"Are you okay, Ilie?" he asked, but fixed his gaze on Franz on Tania.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered weakly.

"Move even a hair and I kill her," Franz threatened.

Acht stayed still, looking calm yet calculating. He knew Kidow was behind him climbing the stairs. He wanted to bide time until Kidow showed up. "You're delusional if you think you'll have Ilie the way you've had Tania imprisoned all these years."

"Imprisoned? I've empowered Tania. Because of her, we're advancing human evolution! And I only desire to give Ilie that same power."

"How are you going to do that? Adham and all of his soldiers are dead. You have no one left."

Franz froze for a moment before answering, "When Adham's forces return from E-05, his second in command will take over. He shared Adham's vision, and he'll help me continue my research."

As Franz was talking, Kidow arrived, taking a place between Acht and Ilie. Franz gestured with his arm to emphasize his holding Tania at gunpoint. She winced at the extra pressure against her head.

Acht acknowledged Kidow, "Kidow, stay with Ilie."

Kidow nodded in response. Tania's face softened and she said, "Ilie, I'm so glad I got to see you one last time. I love you." Then she turned to Acht with a resolved look in her eye, "Acht," she said with a nod. He nodded back, understanding her silent command, then bolted from his position. In one swift moment, Franz pulled the trigger a split second before Acht sliced through his stomach, then whispered something in his ear. Franz's eyes grew wide in terror. Tania's body slumped to the floor.

"MOM!" Ilie yelled as soon as she heard the BANG of the gunshot. Kidow held her back for a few moments, wanting to make sure Acht had taken out Franz. But she quickly went from fighting his grasp to gripping him back. She started trembling at the sight of Tania's body on the ground, brains blown across the room and blood pooling around her. She couldn't contain the bile, and she vomited what little acid came up from her nearly empty stomach, most of it landing on the floor but a little getting on Kidow's sleeve. The sight became unbearable, so she closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. Sobbing, she knelt to the floor, bringing Kidow with her, his arms wrapped around her the whole time.

Acht moved to Tania's side, straightening her body and smoothing out her hair. After placing a soft kiss on her cheek, he picked up Franz, who was still barely hanging onto life, and rushed him out of the room. Several minutes past before Ilie's sobs relented. Gaining a small bit of composure, she left Kidow's embrace to sit by Tania's body. She grabbed her hand and brought it to her lips, grieving the fact that she didn't get to hold her while she was still alive. It wasn't long before Acht returned. He knelt by Ilie and looked sorrowfully at his mother's body. A few tears escaped his eyes as he mourned the loss of the one person who had ever loved him unconditionally.

Ilie finally broke the silence, "What happens now?"

Acht answered, "I'll take her body to the morgue, and we'll cremate her in a few days."

Kidow said, "We need to see what's going on back home. But Ilie, you need to eat and rest." He looked up at Acht, "Can you take care of her? I already have a ride back to the city." He had Jin waiting for him at a safe spot by a wrecked commercial airplane not far outside the insect cage.

Acht nodded his response. Then he gently picked up Tania and took her to the basement morgue. Once he left, Ilie got up, limped over to Kidow and wrapped her arms around his midsection, her cheek pressed against his chest. He returned her embrace with one arm wrapped around her and the other firmly holding the back of her head. Then she nuzzled her nose just under his shoulder and took in a deep inhale.

Kidow smirked and asked, "Ilie...are you...sniffing my sweat?" Both of them were sweaty and exuding intense body odor at this point, and he was well aware of his own smells.

Without moving, Ilie chuckled in response, "I'm just so glad you're alive. And smelling you helps me know that you're really here. It's not just a dream. And now you're about to leave again…"

"Alright Princess, I'm just doing some reconnaissance. I'll be back in a few hours, and then we can do whatever your kinky mind desires."

Smiling, she said, "You're so gross."

He tucked the side of his finger under her chin to pull her face up to look at him, then gave her a chaste, lingering kiss. She responded by cupping his face in both of her hands and pulling herself deeper into the kiss. Normally such affection would be arousing, but in that moment, it was a simple comfort, a relief from the day's trepidations. In that moment, Ilie internally prayed for Kidow to come back to her, and for her friends in E-05 to be safe.

When Acht returned, Kidow departed for E-05. The two siblings made their way to a large cafeteria, Acht helping Ilie with his arm hooked under her arm and around her waist. The cagasters paid them no mind as they ventured through the halls. They settled at one of the many round tables, Acht getting up only to grab a pre-packaged sandwich and water bottle for Ilie.

"So what happens to this place now that Adham and Franz are gone?" Ilie asked.

"I have some ideas, but you don't have to worry about that just yet. For now, just focus on resting and getting your strength up," Acht answered. Ilie gave him a small smile. Though curious, her exhaustion was getting the best of her. She hadn't had more than a few hours of sleep in the past two days. Acht continued, "You know, Tania asked me to take care of you after she passed...but it seems like you don't really need me now that you have the exterminator…"

Ilie's eyes lit up and she reached her hand across the table to grab onto Acht's hand, "That's not true. It may not be the same as what you thought, but I need my brother in my life. I don't even want to think about what this day would've been like without you!"

Acht returned her smile and squeezed her hand, thankful for her response. Ilie was nearly done with her sandwich and halfway through her water at this point.

"Here in a minute I'll take you to a room where you can sleep… but I do have one big favor to ask of you after you wake up…" Ilie looked at him expectantly and trusting. He felt a twinge of guilt that she had such confidence in him after reuniting with him only hours ago, and what he was about to ask was no small favor. "The scientists I saved earlier... They're in a safe room right now, but they can't leave until they're safe from being attacked by the cagasters." Ilie just stared at him blankly, not registering what he was asking. She likely would've picked up what he was implying right away if she was at her full mental and physical strength. After a short pause, Acht pressed on, "When you wake up, can I hook you up to the throne so you can command the cagasters to stay away from all people in the building?"

"Is it safe for me to do that?" Though Ilie trusted Acht, seeing her mother's weakened state caused by the throne gave her fears.

"Yes, entirely. It'll only take about 30 minutes, and I'll be with you the whole time. It's such a short range command that it shouldn't have any adverse effects on your mind or body," he reassured her.

"Okay then...should we do it right now?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Though it's a safe process, you should still be well rested before being hooked up to the throne… especially since it'll be your first time…"

Her mind didn't even process that he could mean there would be more times to follow. Once she finished her food and water, he offered to carry her to the room since it was a bit of a walk, which she happily accepted. She was surprised when he picked her up bridal style, but quickly learned that riding on his back was not the most comfortable option because of his wings.

He took her to a roomy, studio style suite. The whole floor served as housing for the workers. He set her down directly on the bed, grabbed a water bottle from the stocked fridge. He left for a moment and returned with 2 bottles of medicine - one for pain and another for sleep. Ilie gladly took the pills and drifted off to sleep while Acht went to check on the survivors and get the throne ready for Ilie.

Hours later, Ilie was still sleeping when Kidow returned. He remembered which routes to take through the building to avoid cagasters, and soon found Acht in the throne room. Kidow quickly informed Acht about General Eduardo Petrov, a thin, blonde haired man, rescuing E-05 from Adham's attempted assault. Apparently Petrov had been onto Adham's scheme for a couple years. It looked like he would be the one to take over any surviving units and areas under Adham's command. Acht then talked about possibilities for the future of the insect cage of E-05. The survivors could be transported to safety in E-01, where they could probably resume their scientific work in search of a cure for cagaster. But there was another option that depended on Ilie's willingness to participate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up - Next chapter will contain lemon


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! Just a heads up, I did write a semi-smutty scene that is insignificant to the plot. I've marked the scene with "xxx" before & after for any of you who'd rather skip over it (an idea I got from another author that I thought was pretty ingenious).

When Ilie woke up, she was pleasantly surprised to discover Kidow in bed next to her. The steady rising and falling of his chest told her he was sleeping.

 _Does he normally sleep on his back?_ She wondered, realizing that she had only ever spent one full night in bed with her husband. Unconsciously she took in a deep breath through her nose. _Oh god, we're really going to need to wash these sheets. We smell awful._ She giggled at the thought.

Despite her efforts to stifle her small laugh, Kidow stirred. "What's so funny?" he asked groggily with eyes still closed.

She covered her mouth and said, "Oh it's nothing. It's just nice to be here with you right now."

Then she winced as her injured leg throbbed. She started to reach over Kidow for the pain medicine on the nightstand, but he pulled her into a tight embrace against him. Getting another good whiff of his sweat caused her to giggle again.

"Okay, now you have to tell me what is so funny…"

"It's nothing really… we're both just in desperate need of a good shower…"

Keeping his grip on her firm, he teased, "Oh really? Yesterday you were all too happy to smell me…"

 _Oh no… I don't like the tone in his voice…_ Ilie tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he just pulled her in tighter.

"That was yesterday… Today we have access to a shower. Come on Kidow, let me go. I need to get some medicine for my leg."

In a smooth, swift motion, he rolled them onto their sides and forced Ilie's head towards his armpit. Her attempts to hold her breath were in vain because she couldn't contain her laughter anymore. "Come on, Princess, this smell should help soothe your pain," he teased.

Through gasps of laughter and trying not to breath, she choked, "Kidow! … let me go…it's not funny!" She continued squirming and playfully hitting his chest in efforts to get away. He couldn't hold back his smile, loving the sound of her laughter and the feeling of her squirming body in his arms. Then she got an idea when she realized that his position left his side wide open - she slipped her hand to his ribcage and started tickling.

He immediately let go of her and brought his arm down to protect his side from her assault. "Damn it, woman, you found my weakness."

She let out a snort at his remark. Her head started to feel light and dizzy from all her laughing, and her leg throbbed again. Through a big smile that just wouldn't fade, she attempted to say with a serious tone, "I really do need some water and medicine though."

He turned over and grabbed her water and medicine to hand back to her. After she took it, he asked soberly, "How are you doing?"

She scooted herself to rest her head against his chest. "Good now that I have you back with me." That brought a smile to his face, and he started to stroke her hair. Then she looked up at him, eyes widened, "What about home? Is everyone okay?!"

He assured her, "Everyone is fine. Adham's men surrendered when reinforcements showed up. Some buildings got destroyed during the attack, including Mario's. But he and Lizzy, Naji and my team are all safe. We can try calling them a little later."

Ilie relaxed back onto his chest and sighed. "I'd really like that." A few moments of restful silence went by before she asked, "Did you talk to Acht?"

"Yeah…"

"Did he tell you about hooking me up to the throne? To help those people that he saved?"

"Yeah he did."

She pushed herself up slowly. "We should probably get going."

He stopped her, "There's no rush. They're in a safe room right now. Let's get you showered and fed beforehand."

A knock on the door got their attention. Kidow got out of bed and opened it to find Acht standing there with a tray of breakfast food. The sight of her fierce looking assassin of a brother holding food for them made Ilie smile.

"Good morning Acht!" she said brightly.

"Hey Ilie," he responded stoically. "Here." He pushed the tray forward for Kidow to take it, which he did and brought it to the small table between the kitchenette and the bed. "Take your time. I'll meet you guys in the throne room when you're ready."

"No, please join us," Ilie insisted. "I'd love to have both of you here for a few minutes of normalcy, without us trying to escape death or talking about me having to command the bugs."

Reluctantly, Acht gave in and sat down at one of the four chairs. _This is going to be awkward, but how can I say 'no' after everything she's been through and what I'm asking her to do now?_

Standing from the bed to walk the two steps to the table made Ilie realize just how sore she was. She hadn't realized how much she had been tensing nearly every muscle in her body during the previous days' events until that moment.

The three ate breakfast with ease. Sensing the awkwardness with her brother and her lover being forced to sit down to share a meal together, Ilie worked to keep the conversation flowing with small talk. She didn't care much that they felt awkward because she was just happy to have two people she loved be with her at that moment. Fortunately, the two men obliged her small talk and questions, eventually dissolving the tension to natural, light conversation. At one point they even shared a short laugh after Ilie pointed out how Acht cleaned up well and he responded with an observation of how much the other two desperately needed to do the same. After they finished eating, Acht excused himself so they could wash up, taking the tray of used dishes with him.

Alone again, Kidow carried Ilie to the shower with every intention to keep it platonic, focusing on helping her keep her sewn up calf dry (thanks to some plastic wrap from the kitchen and medical tape from the bathroom). The bathroom itself was surprisingly roomy compared to the rest of the suite.

The two stood naked under the shower together, each washing their own hair and body twice, with Ilie occasionally grabbing onto Kidow for support. But after they finished washing, Ilie remained under the water, enjoying the heat with eyes closed. Kidow stood half a foot away from her with his arms extended for her to hold onto for support. He never minded the cold showers at Mario's, and he knew the heat comforted Ilie so he gladly let her have all of the water while he just stood and watched her.

xxx

After what felt like two minutes to Ilie but was probably closer to ten, she opened her eyes, leaned forward into Kidow's arms and kissed him, quickly pressing her tongue through to an open mouthed kiss that Kidow gladly returned. Boy was she happy they got to brush their teeth after breakfast because tasting the mint of his mouth encouraged her to press on more passionately. His hands started roaming up and down her back, giving her courage to move her own hand toward his hardening member.

She took it into her hands and began rubbing, but wasn't quite sure what to do that felt good for him. He caught onto her hesitancy, gently grabbed her hand and used the opportunity to ask her, "Are you sure you're up for this right now?"

With confidence, she answered, "Definitely… I just might need your help for a second…"

"Like this," he whispered as he guided her hand in a pumping motion. After a minute, she got the hang of it and he let go to continue feeling her body as he moaned his pleasure into her mouth at the feeling of her hands on him. Unfortunately, he started craving a different kind of pleasure, but he refused to allow himself to ask THAT of her right now. Another thought came to mind that he deemed much better for today. He paused her hand and asked huskily, "Can I try something?"

"Mmhmm," she agreed, already getting hazed by desire.

He had them switch positions so that he was now under the water and her back was pressed against to shower wall. Though the cold surface sent a shiver down her spine, the hot steam filling the bathroom kept her warm enough for comfort. Kidow pressed a passionate kiss on her mouth while massaging the intimate surfaces between her legs with his palm and fingers. It was only when he moved to suck on one of her nipples did he press two fingers into her, eliciting a moan from her. She wasn't sure what to do with her hands at first, but she quickly settled on alternating between playing with his hair and roaming his muscled shoulders and arms.

His tongue swirling around and flicking her nipple while his fingers pumped in and out of her caused her arousal to reach a height like never before. For only a moment she was disappointed when he pulled his fingers out, but her excitement returned when he brought them, now soaked with her fluids, to the sensitive nub in her folds. He took his mouth from breast to whisper in her ear, "Let me know when I hit a good spot." She nodded even though she wasn't entirely sure what he meant. One hand played with her clit, the other her breasts, while he used his lips and tongue to suck on her neck and shoulder.

At this point, Ilie just let her hands rest, sometimes gripping, on Kidow's shoulder while he lavished her body with his hands and mouth. Suddenly she had an understanding of Kidow's question when his finger found a particularly sensitive and arousing spot that sent waves of pleasure through her body. She barely rasped a "right there" to encourage him to continue his precise ministrations, which he did with ease. As his finger rubbed her bundle of nerves with increasing speed, she gripped his shoulders and let out breathy moans until she couldn't take it anymore as her climax hit its peak. "Oh god!" she whispered in a squeaky voice as her legs involuntarily squeezed together with all their might. She was sure she was crushing his hand.

He smoothly removed his hand from her squeezed thighs, rested them on her hips and whispered directly in her ear, "Fuck, I love hearing you moan like that." Pleasuring her made his own arousal apparent.

After a few deep breaths, she asked quietly, "What _was_ that?"

Kidow chuckled, but couldn't hold back his laughter as his thoughts started swarming, comparing how she was so innocent to how deeply depraved he was. _God, I'm such a dick. I never even thought about giving her pleasure until now._ He lost all arousal as he got lost in his thoughts.

His growing laughter confused Ilie, causing her to feel self-conscious and instinctively bring her hands to her chest in a vain attempt to cover up her nakedness. When Kidow noticed her quizzical look, he pulled her into his arms and squeezed tight. His embrace eased her self consciousness, making her feel safe. He calmed himself and said with a smile, "Damn I don't deserve you... _that_ , princess, is called an orgasm."

 _Oh yeah,_ she thought, _I remember reading about those, but I never really understood what they were._ "Oh...that felt really good," she said into his chest. He pulled her face up so he could kiss her yet again. When he pulled back, she looked him in the eye and asked, "Is it selfish of me to ask for that more often in the future?"

He chuckled again while answering, "Not at all. In fact, we can do that every time from now on."

She smiled back and asked, "Is it your turn now?"

He shook his head, "No, I can wait. Let's finish up so we can meet back up with your brother."

She started to ask if he was sure, but thought better of it. Feeling rested, fed, clean, and now sated, she figured it was probably time she stopped delaying and got to work.

xxx

* * *

In the throne room, Acht explained to Ilie the process of hooking up to the control panel and sending a command to the cagasters. He described how Franz and his team had taken things too far and what he did specifically that caused harm to Tania, and that with Ilie Acht would be using multiple safety precautions that Franz never cared to implement.

Sitting in the very chair her birth mother was murdered in the day before unnerved Ilie, but she focused her thoughts on helping get the half dozen people out of the safe room that they had been holed up in. As Acht began securing the pads to her head, her heart pounded nervously. He explained that for Tania, this command would take no more than a minute to implement, but it would likely take a while for her to get used to the sensations. She discovered how right he was once he pressed a few buttons on the control panel.

A flood of weird sensations filled her as she mentally connected to the nearby cagasters. She lost all sense of time and touch, completely forgetting the two men holding each of her hands. Though she couldn't see the location of each cagaster, it was as if she developed a sixth sense, just knowing what they were doing.

"Can you hear me?" Acht's voice rang through, though it sounded muffled as if he was talking to her underwater.

"Yes," she answered, feeling like she was out of her body yet somehow still in control of it.

"Okay, I want you to focus on what you're sensing from the cagasters. As you focus, say 'Eat nothing nearby.'" Ilie thought that seemed a little vague, but did as she was told. "That's good. Now just keep repeating that phrase over and over again," Acht instructed.

Because she was lost in the world of cagasters, she was unaware that it was a solid five minutes that she was repeating that phrase. Her mind was determined, focused on commanding the cagasters to and hoping with all her might that they were obeying her. "Got it!" Acht declared with some excitement. It took another minute to draw her back to her surroundings. Only when she opened her eyes and looked at each of them to indicate she was back to the room did Acht detach the wired pads from her head.

"That's it?" she asked.

"That's it. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine. That was a lot easier than I expected."

Acht explained, "Once you dictate the command, I'm able to lock onto the signal you release in the control system so that it remains constant. That was impressive. It only took you 15 minutes. If I had to guess just based on this time, it seems you're a stronger 'queen' and naturally more in tune with the cagasters than Tania."

Kidow looked at Ilie teasingly, "I never realized I had an _actual_ princess as my bride. Perhaps I should start calling you 'my queen' now…"

Acht creased his eyebrows in confusion while Ilie had a look of disgust on her face as she said, "Please don't."

Kidow hugged her for a moment, saying, "Whatever you say, Princess." His response gave Acht a slightly better understanding of their exchange.

After they pulled apart, Ilie faced Acht to ask, "Are you sure the command was sufficient? 'Nearby' just seems so vague…"

"Actually, I'm confident you made it safe for people to roam this building as well as the buildings within a two-block radius of here."

"How can you be so sure? Shouldn't we test it with an animal or something?"

Kidow smiled and Acht let out a small chuckle before answering, "If you like, we can release a goat in one of the open spaces."

"That would make me feel a little better, just to be safe."

A couple moments passed and Ilie sensed something in a knowing look shared between Kidow and Acht. Instead of asking, she just looked at them questioningly.

Kidow finally spoke up, "Ilie, there's something we wanted to ask you, but know that it's entirely your decision."

"Okay… what is it?"

Acht answered, "Before we ask, just know that if you want, I can tear this 'throne' set up to shreds right now. You can leave here and never look back or think about this insect cage again."

Ilie just blinked, eagerly waiting for them to expound on what the other option was. Kidow was the one to put it out there, "Or, while E-05 is being rebuilt, we can stay here for a while and you can test out your abilities. Maybe, without having lunatics like Franz and Adham running the show, you have something to offer the world by communicating with cagasters."

"Oh I see…"

Acht continued, "There's other unique, specialized equipment and lab setups in this building that E-01 does not possess. There is promising research that could be made. Like Kidow said, the discoveries could benefit mankind going forward. Researchers in cities like E-01 will never stop looking for a cure, but continuing operations here could help us find ways to keep people safer in the meantime."

Instead of responding, Ilie stayed quiet, chewing on the information shared with her. Unlike Kidow and Acht, she had very little first-hand encounters with cagasters. The idea that she could actually wield some power over them felt foreign, unreal. She felt like she had a duty to use her abilities to help "benefit mankind," but was reluctant for some reason she couldn't quite distinguish.

"You don't have to decide now. Take some time to think about it. I'm with you whatever you decide," Kidow assured her.

As Ilie requested, they let loose a goat (one of the many animals on site for experimenting on). And as Acht promised, the goat roamed freely, unharmed by cagasters. Kidow was unofficially the next test as the three made their way to the safe room, taking the most direct route since they (meaning Kidow, since Acht and Ilie were forever safe from cagaster attacks) did not have to take a cagaster-free route anymore.

They opened the door to a group of six nervous but healthy people. Acht informed them that the building was safe from cagasters attacks and Adham's soldiers. He advised them to retire to their rooms to rest until the future of the place was decided. They had questions, which Acht ignored until one woman asked about Ilie.

"You're Tania's daughter, aren't you? You look exactly like her. You can help us with our research!"

Acht growled, "If any of you touch her, you will face the same fate as your two colleagues yesterday." The woman promptly apologized.

"What of Franz and Tania? Did they make it out?" Dr. Reiko, the same man who stood up for Acht yesterday, had asked.

Acht just turned and walked away. Ilie decided to answer, with sadness, "No, unfortunately they both died yesterday."

"Oh, I'm so sorry sweetie," said the woman quite sincerely.

"I'm Ilie, by the…" Ilie eyes widened in horror as she sensed something about the woman that she had never sensed in another person before.

Kidow caught on, "Ilie, are you alright?"

"I… yes, I'm fine… I need to go talk to Acht for a minute."

Ilie bolted out toward Acht, who was halfway down the long hallway. While she was heading toward him, Kidow offered to accompany the group back to the residential floor if it would make them feel safer. Though not everyone felt it necessary, a couple of them were glad for the extra protection.

When Ilie caught up to Acht, she told him about her seemingly newfound ability. She described to him how she could sense the cagaster gene in the woman scientist. Acht was surprised to learn of such an ability. When Ilie questioned if hooking up to the throne somehow triggered her ability, he answered, "It's possible. We won't ever really know for sure. Since the cagaster gene is found in only 1 in 1,000 people, it's possible you never encountered someone pretranformation before." She immediately recalled meeting Qasim before he transformed, and after relaying that information Acht was more on board with theory of the throne awakening her sixth sense. Only inwardly did he ponder how the woman managed to get on staff. Adham, as the one funding the operations, had been adamant about having anyone tested for the cagaster gene before being brought on board. The ones who tested positive, only two that he knew of, faced a quick beheading. Fortunately they were never aware of what was coming.

After eating lunch with Ilie in the cafeteria, Kidow used the phone in their room to call the guard tower at E-05, thankful the line was still connected. He left a message with the guard on duty that he was trying to get in contact with a person named Lizzy. Nearly an hour later, the phone rang. Ilie answered, and nearly sobbed at hearing Lizzy's voice. She bombarded Lizzy with questions about how she was and the city was doing. Lizzy described to her how she was with Aisha and Naji leading the women and children out of the city while all the men stayed back to fight, and how they ran into General Petrov, who came to the city's rescue with multiple tanks. And how Mario had prepared all of his food for a huge cookout. Then Lizzy took her turn to bombard Ilie with her own questions. Ilie described in detail the events of the past two days. Near the end of the conversation, Ilie asked Lizzy what she thought she should do going forward.

"Well it's really your decision, Ilie. Hardly anyone knows the truth about who you really are, and those that do know care deeply about you. If you do stay there, you've got a badass exterminator of a husband and, from what you've described, a highly intelligent, super soldier of a brother, both there to protect you with their lives. Both of whom went through hell, facing and _defeating_ the scariest threats we know of, all for you just yesterday! Man, here I was thinking I was going to wow you with how scary and exciting _my_ life has been the last 24 hours!" Lizzy let out a small laugh at the end of her monologue.

"You day sounded pretty crazy to me! Thank you for being such an incredible friend. You always know just the right thing to say. I love you! No matter what happens, I'm coming home to see you ASAP!"

"You better! I love you too!"

That evening, the nine occupants of the building ate together at a large table in the cafeteria. Ilie naturally fell into conversation with the scientists. One medical doctor even looked over her leg. Though he commented that he was impressed it held up very well despite her excessive use of her leg the past couple days, he still wanted to clean it up and redress it after dinner, and she happily agreed. She learned the name of the woman with the cagaster gene was Dr. Miya. The two hit it off, and Ilie began to feel a deep bond with her. Of course, the scientists were still on edge with the uncertainty of their own futures, and inevitably started expressing their concerns.

Annoyed at their pestering, Acht finally said that they had the option of seeking work in E-01. Kidow spoke up saying he could speak with General Petrov to arrange a unit to accompany them on the journey.

"Unless you want to continue working here…" Ilie said hesitantly. Acht and Kidow both jerked their heads to face her, staring at her incredulously. Then she stated boldly, "I'll do it. I'll be the queen of this insect cage."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (9/17/2020): You made it to the end! I value feedback, both good and bad, as long as it is kind. 
> 
> I had intended on writing an epilogue, but I think I lost readers at this point, so I lost my mojo. BUT if anyone happens to be interested in more exploration of this altered universe, I do have a sequel in mind focused on a different, made-up pairing....Lizzy & Acht. My mind might be kinda weird to have put those two together, but I do have a whole plot in mind for that. However, I'm not motivated to take the time to write it unless I know there's someone, ANYONE, out there who's actually interested in reading. So let me know if that piques your interest. If not, thank you for taking the time to read my little novella of a fanfic :)


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